The Psychology of Dictators
Tue 25 Aug19:00
£13.50An argument delivered in public by someone who believes it. Rarer than you might expect.
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Tue 15 Sept18:00
£32.99As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Iran and Afghanistan since 1988, played a leading role in the BBC's coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and has covered major wars as well as efforts to make peace in the Middle East since 1994. In 2022 she covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine live from Kyiv as Putin’s tanks crossed the border. And most recently having reported on the ground in Iran in February 2026, Doucet has been a hugely insightful voice explaining the consequences of the U.S-Israeli led war on the country and what it means for the world. Doucet is renowned for her compassionate, human-centred reporting often in times of war and suffering. On September 15, she comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her reflections and insights from the frontlines. Doucet will also discuss the themes and approach of her Women’s Prize-shortlisted book, The Finest Hotel in Kabul, a vivid history of Afghanistan as seen from the iconic Inter-Continental Hotel. Drawing on years of interviews with its staff and guests, the book traces the country’s tumultuous history - from the Soviet withdrawal and civil war to the US invasion and the return of the Taliban - through the prism of this landmark hotel and the lives of the staff who kept it running during war and peace. Join us for an evening of discussion at Union Chapel, and have your questions answered in the audience Q&A. You will also have the chance to ask your questions during the Q&A. Make your dinner reservation to eat at our Margins Cafe before the show! You must have a general admission ticket for the show to gain entry for dinner. Doors will open for early dinner ticket holders at 17:30. The Margins Cafe serves delicious, freshly prepared food at gigs and events. All profits go towards The Margins Project, based here at the Chapel which works with people who face issues of homelessness and crisis. Book Your Dinner Reservation HERE More Information: For Accessibility, please click here. The venue is seating only. All seats are unreserved and are taken on a first come first serve basis. Please arrive early before event door times if you have preferred seats. Due to the nature of our venue, please be prepared to queue for entry. The venue is fully accessible, with use of ramps and the upstairs bar is accessible with use of a platform lift. Please email [email protected] with any specific accessibility requirements, that we should be aware of, as soon as you purchase your ticket as requests are dealt with on a first come, first serve basis. The bar is located on the first floor of the venue and will be open from the stated door time and remain open after the show. Alcohol consumption will be limited to the bar area only, it is not permitted to take alcohol to the main chapel space. An array of soft drinks and snacks will also be available and are permitted in the main space - please note the Union Chapel bar and kiosk accept card payment only. Strictly no food or drink may be brought from outside into the venue. Water bottles must be emptied before entering the venue, with refilling stations available inside. Seats for Margin's Cafe Early Dinners can be reserved via the links above. Margin's Cafe accepts both cash and card. If you have any queries about Margins Cafe, please contact [email protected]

Tue 15 Sept19:00
£11.27A speaker who knows more about this than anyone else in the room, including the other speakers.

Tue 15 Sept20:00
An argument delivered in public by someone who believes it. Rarer than you might expect.

Thu 24 Sept18:00
£44.44Carlo Rovelli is an award-winning theoretical physicist and writer with a gift for making complex ideas feel real and accessible. Whether exploring black holes, quantum mechanics, philosophy, or history, he inspires audiences with his sense of wonder and curiosity at how the world works. Beloved by millions, Rovelli’s books, including Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time, invite us into the deepest corners of the universe, while challenging what we thought we knew about time and space. On September 24, he will come to the Intelligence Squared stage to explore some of the most awe-inspiring discoveries of modern science, the subject of his new book, On The Equality of All Things. Drawing on both cutting-edge physics and ancient philosophy, he will ask what these ideas reveal about the strangeness of reality. How does modern science impact age-old philosophical questions? What does it really mean to say that something exists? What is time, if it flows differently for different observers? And what kind of world do we inhabit if nature’s most fundamental elements are defined only by their connections? Join him live at Union Chapel, and ask him your own questions during the Q&A. All tickets include a hardback copy of On The Equality of All Things by Carlo Rovelli, translated by Simon Carnell (RRP £20). Make your dinner reservation to eat at our Margins Cafe before the show! You must have a general admission ticket for the show to gain entry for dinner. Doors will open for early dinner ticket holders at 17:30. The Margins Cafe serves delicious, freshly prepared food at gigs and events. All profits go towards The Margins Project, based here at the Chapel which works with people who face issues of homelessness and crisis. Book Your Dinner Reservation HERE More Information: For Accessibility, please click here. The venue is seating only. All seats are unreserved and are taken on a first come first serve basis. Please arrive early before event door times if you have preferred seats. Due to the nature of our venue, please be prepared to queue for entry. The venue is fully accessible, with use of ramps and the upstairs bar is accessible with use of a platform lift. Please email [email protected] with your accessibility requirements as soon as you purchase your ticket as requests are dealt with on a first come, first serve basis. The bar is located on the first floor of the venue and will be open from the stated door time and remain open after the show. Alcohol consumption will be limited to the bar area only, it is not permitted to take alcohol to the main chapel space. An array of soft drinks and snacks will also be available and are permitted in the main space - please note the Union Chapel bar and kiosk accept card payment only. Strictly no food or drink may be brought from outside into the venue. Water bottles must be emptied before entering the venue, with refilling stations available inside. Seats for Margin's Cafe Early Dinners can be reserved via the links above. Margin's Cafe accepts both cash and card. If you have any queries about Margins Cafe, please contact [email protected]

Thu 24 Sept19:00
£49.99A speaker who knows more about this than anyone else in the room, including the other speakers.