Rsa Events

In 2015, Yanis Varoufakis became the world’s most prominent opponent of austerity when, as finance minister of Greece, he refused to accept the terms of the loan agreement dictated to his bankrupt country by the eurozone’s leaders. Since resigning his post he has become the figurehead of an international grassroots movement, joining together to put the ‘demos’ back into European democracy. At the RSA, in conversation with Matthew Taylor, Yanis Varoufakis will explore the origins of the crisis of 2008, which wiped out half a dozen national economies and brought several more to the brink of collapse. Since then, he argues, by pursuing plans based on more debt and harsh austerity rather than reform, European leaders have ensured that the weakest citizens of the weakest nations pay the price for the bankers’ mistakes, while doing nothing to prevent the next collapse. Instead, the principle of the greatest austerity for those suffering the greatest recessions has led to a resurgence of racist extremism. And once m

Western Culture has long separated the mind from the body; and the mind, with its home as the brain, has been privileged as the source of intellect, with the rest of the body annexed as mere matter. But the new field of ‘embodied cognition’, which draws on the latest advances in neuroscience and psychology, offers a richer, more holistic view of intelligence that involves the whole body. At the RSA, author and education reformer Professor Guy Claxton introduces this new field, explores the far-reaching implications of the persistence of the Cartesian mind/body ‘error’, and reveals how an appreciation of the whole body’s intelligence can enrich all our lives.

Lack of affordable housing is one of the defining social justice issues of our times. Eviction can lead to a cascade of events that can trap families in a cycle of poverty for years. Matthew Desmond is a social scientist and ethnographer, co-director of the Justice and Poverty Project at Harvard University, and a 2015 MacArthur ‘Genius’ award winner. In this election year, Desmond’s landmark work of reportage Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City offers a searing portrait of the contemporary US, where fewer and fewer people can afford a roof over their head. At the RSA, Matthew Desmond is joined by Shelter’s CEO Campbell Robb; journalist Owen Jones and Sky News editor Afua Hirsch, to explore the impact of eviction on the lives of the urban poor and its role in perpetuating racial and economic inequality.

In the evolution of human culture from pre-history to the present, changes in ethical values have been driven by the most basic force of all: energy. In a bold new theory, historian Ian Morris argues that humans have found three main ways to get the energy they need – foraging, farming and fossil fuels – and that in each of these epochs, the dominant energy source sets limits on the kinds of societies that can succeed, and each society in turn rewards specific values. Small forager bands valued equality but were ready to settle problems violently. In larger farming societies those who valued hierarchy but avoided conflict did best. In huge fossil-fuel societies, the pendulum has swung back toward equality but further away from violence. But if our fossil-fuel world currently favours open, democratic societies, the ongoing revolution in energy capture may well soon signal a new values shift. If so, what might come next?

The world is changing fast and public education needs to change with it. But debates about innovation in education can reinforce existing divides – between ‘progressives’ and ‘traditionalists’, between the converted and the sceptical, between the confident and the constrained. How do we break through these divides and craft a unifying challenge to both teachers and systems to grasp how public education must change to enable learners and institutions to thrive in the new conditions which confront them? And then how would we go about creating a movement, supported by new systems, platforms and relationships, that would promote radical innovation at all levels, with teachers front and centre but also engaging with a broader range of partners within and beyond schools?

What makes us who we are? Child psychologist and writer Oliver James shares his new findings on the nature-nurture debate. Genetics is often cited as the key factor in explaining what makes us who we are. Recently, however, there is increasing weight given to the importance of our childhood in the formation of our ‘persona’. It is our upbringing, and less so our genes, that is critical to achieving wellbeing and fulfilment across our lifespan. The implications of this are profound. As adults we retain the ability to change, but what we learn as children is crucial and, therefore, education is key to shaping who we are individually - and our society as a whole.

Can any of us be creative, and if so, how we do we nurture our creativity? How can we advance courageous new ideas, policies and practices without risking it all? New York Times bestselling author and one of Malcolm Gladwell’s favourite thinkers, Professor Adam Grant shows us how to improve the world by championing novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battling conformity, and bucking outdated traditions. But how do we know if we’re harbouring a great idea? How do we counteract fear and self-doubt? Grant debunks the myth that successful nonconformists are born leaders who embrace risk, and encourages us all to spot opportunities for change and innovation.

Author Dawn Foster, Fawcett Society CEO Sam Smethers and ‘Token Man’ founder Daniele Fiandaca debate the values that shape the way we live and work together.

Leading innovation expert and former adviser to the US Secretary of State, Alec Ross visits the RSA to give an insider's perspective on the industries of the future.

After huge successes at the helm of Obama’s Open Government Initiative, Professor Beth Simone Noveck visits the RSA to outline a profound new vision of democracy – one that is rooted in the knowledge and know-how of everyday people.

Founder and president of the Public Banking Institute, Ellen Brown, argues we can recapture the sovereign power to create money by reclaiming ownership of the banks.

How do we develop creative approaches to digital media to bring knowledge, skills, critical thinking – and a passion for reading - to all of our children?

Join our panel to discuss how we can ensure devolved governance strengthens democracy and civic engagement.

Paul Morrell OBE explores a range of challenges facing the built environment professions and the need for adaptability at a time of marked institutional, technological and social evolution.

In 2015, Ban Ki-Moon announced the new sustainable development goals as a ‘to-do list for people and planet’. What role should the UK play to help achieve these vital global goals?

Historian Frank Trentmann traces the evolution of our material culture, and reveals how what we consume has become the defining feature of our lives.

Distinguished educationalist Professor Andy Hargreaves asks what it would take to put teachers at the steering wheel of education reform worldwide?

The Mindfulness Insitute’s Jamie Bristow, and columnist Madeleine Bunting consider how widespread mindfulness training can engineer and support a flourishing society.

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children visits the RSA to talk about creating a 21st century charity.

Economist and former McKinsey partner Caroline Webb shows how to use findings from behavioural economics, psychology, and neuroscience to transform our approach to everyday working life.