Four Thought

Mark Lorch asks why we are all so afraid of chemicals and chemistry.

Mark O'Connell argues that in an age of strong opinions, we should embrace ambivalence.

Jane Burston argues that by placing too much emphasis on profit, companies behave in an unethical way, and it is time for social purpose to take centre stage.

Sam Edwards argues that we should think again about how and what we memorialise - including wars and other major events in our national history. Sam is a lecturer in American History at Manchester Metropolitan University, and has long been fascinated with memorials. He tells the story of how, as a young man, he would journey around the Suffolk countryside visiting the many memorials to the US 8th Air Force, and the effect it had on him.

Molly Naylor has spent years thinking how much she could teach her teenage self. But in this talk, Molly turns her thinking on its head. What if her teenage self has something to teach her?

Matt Locke traces the stories of three 'empires of attention' to examine how our attention, and the way it was measured, has shaped our culture.

Farrah Jarral puts the case for more cheekiness.

Paul Dimeo argues that drugs made modern sport what it is today.

Lindsay Johns argues that language is power, and makes the case for speaking English properly.

Mona Siddiqui on why she believes friendships are the key to a good society in a globalised world.

Geographer Danny Dorling explains why he thinks population growth over the next century is nothing to be scared of.

We might think the web is something different, another world somewhere out there - or indeed in our devices - but Emily Bell of Columbia University's journalism school argues the real and the virtual worlds are the same thing.

In the 1990s, author Alan Bissett was a lad and women were 'birds'. In a frank and personal account, Alan talks about why he turned to the work of the late American radical feminist Andrea Dworkin after becoming concerned over his use of internet pornography. He dissects elements of what he describes as our "sex saturated culture" and argues that men need to start engaging with feminism for the good of all.

Greg Votolato from the V&A musuem confesses his addiction to cars while arguing for more sustainable designs to meet our desire for status and private space.

Writer Yasmin Hai says it’s not Western foreign policy that is radicalising young British Muslims but more pedestrian psychological factors closer to home.