Rsa Events

How should anti-racism work in ‘super-diverse’ societies? For as long as humans have lived together, we have grappled with questions about difference, identity, and tolerance – but what we really mean by these things must continue to be evaluated as the makeup of society and the degree of interconnection between its members change. Anti-racist politics of recent decades have been important in making a case for a cosmopolitan future – but, argues sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris, the rhetoric of anti-racism has often hindered, rather than helped, efforts to address the difficult questions about how to live together, particularly in increasingly diverse societies This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 10th October 2019. Discover more about this event here:https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/anti-racism-and-the-politics-of-diversity

Should pretty people pay more tax? Does truth really matter? Why are self-confident uninformed people so often believed? These are just some of the questions that behavioural experts Steve Martin and Joseph Marks tackle in their new book Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why. Drawing on the latest research, they identify the powerful forces that result in some becoming society’s prevailing Messengers, and others ending up ineffectual or under-represented. They examine the worlds of punditry, business and politics to show why being right carries less weight than looking right. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 2nd October 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/who-does-society-really-listen-to

Do we get the politics we deserve? A panel of commentators reflects on a period of extraordinary political events and public discussion The turbulence in Westminster has captured a great deal of public attention, with political moments trending daily on social media and record numbers of viewers tuning in to BBC Parliament. But are we actually any more engaged with our political institutions and processes, or are we just gawping at the spectacle of it all? Has the way politics is talked about in the press and on social media contributed to a growing sense of divide between the ‘Westminster bubble’ and the rest of the country? An expert panel gathers to discuss this peculiar moment, and how our ways of talking about politics have shaped the situation we find ourselves in. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 26th September 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/09/uk-politics-making-sense-of-the-mayhem

Our clothes are some of our most treasured possessions: they keep us warm, dry and protected; they help us feel comfortable, to fit in and show affiliation, or to stand out and show difference. To mark the launch of the 2019/20 RSA Student Design Awards, a panel of design, systems-thinking and fashion futures experts will bring a range of perspectives on how we can accelerate the transition to a regenerative fashion industry. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 24th September 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/09/designing-the-future-of-fashion

Early Facebook investor and Zuckerberg mentor Roger McNamee exposes the threats posed by the internet giants to our political order and public health. From early 2016, his concerns about the company’s business model, culture and priorities became ever graver, leading to a crusading new role that turned him from fervent champion to fierce critic. In the years since, as tech-driven scandal and crisis has hit countries from the US to the UK, from Sri Lanka to Brazil, McNamee has become a leading light in the fight against the existential threats posed by Facebook and the big tech giants to our privacy, democracy and public health. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 17th September 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/09/big-tech-and-the-future-of-democracy

Rowan Conway, Charles Leadbeater, Jennie Winhall and Payal Dalal present a new approach to accelerating and sustaining social innovation. See a problem; develop a solution; help it scale and spread; change the system for good. This is the goal of every social venture. But the reality for many social businesses is that they often struggle to spread their ideas locally, let alone globally. Do we need a new way of thinking about how social enterprise can help make change happen in the world? This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 12th September 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/09/how-to-be-an-impact-entrepreneur We apologise for a brief and momentary loss in audio quality during Zahra Davidson's opening pitch.

Journalist Jack Shenker uncovers the root causes of our institutional chaos and explores the new political movements putting the people at the centre of power. Years of uncertainty and stagnation have exposed the failings of a political system no longer fit for purpose, from our leaders and their parties to the processes that select them. But disillusionment with the traditional levers of government has not, as we’re often told, just led to disengagement and defeatism: it has given rise to a powerful new political paradigm, mobilised by ordinary people seeking new forms of agency, representation and action. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 12th September 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/09/inside-the-new-politics

Model, actor and entrepreneur Lily Cole explores how tech-focused innovation and planet-centric design can help us tackle the climate crisis and work towards a better world in the future. This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/lily-cole/

Sustainability expert Solitaire Townsend delivers a dose of climate optimism and shares how to feel good by doing good. This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/how-to-change-your-life-by-changing-the-world/?pillar_id=&location=43433

A panel gathers to explore the policy ideas urgently needed to address climate emergency, and how they could become reality. This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/ideas-to-fix-the-future/?pillar_id=&location=43433

Campaigner Gina Martin shares her top tips for aspiring change-makers. This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/toolkit-for-activists/?pillar_id=&location=43433

Economist Guy Standing asks: what it would take for us to be a happier, more equal and prosperous society? This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/a-manifesto-for-the-common-good/?pillar_id=&location=43433

The Guardian’s John Harris speaks to the environmental campaigners putting climate change at the top of the public agenda. This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Saturday 31st July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/programme/climate-change-time-to-act/?pillar_id=&location=43433

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP and Sir Ian Cheshire are joined by an expert panel at the launch of the RSA Food, Farming and Countryside Commission final report. We have worked with farming and food businesses, public health and citizens groups, environment and economics experts and many more to understand how we can respond more effectively and urgently to global and domestic challenges, from climate change to spiralling diet-related ill health. This event was recorded live at Tuesday 16th July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/07/our-future-in-the-land

What does it mean to be young in the UK today? A group of writers and activists share their stories with author and editor Nikesh Shukla. One in four people under twenty-five in the UK will be affected by mental illness. Over half of people under twenty-five have looked for advice on homelessness. University fees are rising, job opportunities are drying up, and buying a house is out of reach for all but a privileged few. This event was recorded live at Thursday 11th July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/07/stories-from-britains-youth

Leading designers explore the role of cross-cultural exchange in making design a force for change both locally and globally. With Morag Myerscough RDI and Abdulrahman Gazzaz, Bricklab. This event was recorded live at Monday 8th July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/07/mission-driven-design

What happens when reality surprises us? Writer Michael Blastland explores the curious anomalies that our usual modes of thinking struggle to explain. In a bid to understand the world, we develop theories – in science, medicine, psychology, economics – designed to discern patterns and order. But we encounter mysteries and surprises that these theories cannot explain; curious irregularities that mess up our attempts to comprehend the world. This is down to the ‘hidden half’ – the random, unknowable variables beyond the bounds of our usual reasoning. This event was recorded live at Thursday 4th July 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/07/how-the-world-conceals-its-secrets

Economist Jonathan Aldred reveals the extraordinary hold economics has on our morals and values. In his new book Licence to be Bad – How Economics Corrupted Us, Aldred tells the story of how a group of economic theorists changed our world, and how a handful of key ideas, from free-riding to Nudge, seeped into our decision-making, and, indeed, almost every aspect of our lives. This event was recorded live at Thursday 27th June 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/06/how-economics-corrupted-us

One of the world’s leading evolutionary thinkers David Sloan Wilson offers a bold new approach to solving the problems of our age. Darwin's theory of evolution provides a single theoretical framework for biology, and all life sciences, today. But among humanities scholars, it is widely assumed that our rich cultural and behavioural development operates outside the rules of evolutionary theory. In fact, Darwin's theory has been considered taboo in the study of the social sciences, in the light of the inhumane theories of social Darwinism that emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. But, now, David Sloan Wilson, one of the world’s foremost evolutionary thinkers, expands on what we traditionally consider biological. This event was recorded live at Thursday 20th June 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/06/completing-the-darwinian-revolution

Join us for the annual SDA ceremony and a keynote talk by designer Kate Dundas, planning leader for the City of Melbourne. The RSA Student Design Awards is a global competition focused around a set of project briefs that challenge participants to tackle the big issues of our time through design thinking. Winners receive practical and financial support from the RSA and our partners, as well as the opportunity to join a remarkably diverse community of alumni. This event was recorded live at Wednesday 19th June 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/06/designing-our-futures-the-2019-rsa-student-design-awards