What's coming up...
Claire Coutinho and Myles Allen: Exposing Net Zero Myths
Former Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho MP and Oxford University Professor Myles Allen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, are both convinced of the need to cut emissions. But they share doubts about the new UK government’s pledge to reduce household bills by creating a zero carbon electricity system by 2030. Is policy being distorted by green campaigners and influential figures with vested interests in renewable energy? They join UnHerd’s Investigations Editor, David Rose, for a live deep dive into the myths of net zero.
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Paul Kingsnorth: How the West fell for pseudo religions
UnHerd writer Paul Kingsnorth has long considered the decline in Western religion and what will come to replace zealous faith. Now, as ‘cultural Christianity’ gains ground and a trend for paganism finds footing with Gen Z, he asks: what will fill the post-Christian void? Join Paul Kingsnorth and other star UnHerd contributors for an evening of conversation and Q&A.
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August Strindberg’s The Father: Staged reading, response from Nina Power and audience discussion
‘The Father’ is a psychological drama from incendiary nineteenth century Swedish playwright August Strindberg. A tense power struggle between a father and mother over the fate of their daughter, the play is an explosive exploration of the dynamics between the sexes. Join UnHerd for the rare chance to see a staged reading of this Strindberg masterpiece, followed by a response from philosopher Nina Power and audience discussion. UnHerd is proud to collaborate on this event with The Base Creates, a group of young artists dedicated to rediscovering and reinvigorating great texts of the Western canon to challenge the conformity of the contemporary arts.
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Yanis Varoufakis: Overthrow the Big Tech Tyrants
Former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis has dedicated his life to fighting crony capitalism. Now he faces a total rewiring of global power by the billionaires of Big Tech. How, he asks, did ‘the cloud’ kill capitalism and what has replaced it? The economist, politician and bestselling author of ‘Techno Feudalism’ joins UnHerd for an evening of conversation and Q&A.
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US Election Breakfast
To mark the 2024 US election Freddie Sayers and our DC team will be livestreaming from the very heart of the action. Here in our London HQ UnHerd’s Political Editor Tom McTague and special guests will come together for an early breakfast to discuss the results, debate the future of American politics and tune in for what looks set to be a historically close race for the White House between Harris and Trump. Breakfast and coffee/tea are included in the ticket price.
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Dougald Hine: How to Survive the Collapse of Civilisation
Amidst the raging war between science and the soul, how can we find our place? Co-founder of the Dark Mountain project (with Paul Kingsnorth) Dougald Hine is the author of At Work in the Ruins, a new guide to thriving during a time of crisis for modern civilisation. He joins UnHerd for an evening of conversation and Q&A.
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These Times Live: What the US election means for the world
On 5 November, the American people will go to the polls in what may prove to be the most important election in modern history. From Ukraine to Taiwan, the world is watching with bated breath. Join Tom and Helen for a special These Times live recording, as they analyse how both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could redefine the geopolitical fault lines shaping our world.
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Debate: This house would vote for Donald Trump.
Can an unruly real estate mogul and former TV star really be the ‘conservative’ choice for President of the US? Writer Tim Montgomerie and former MP David Gauke debate whether Donald Trump has earned the conservative vote.
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Stella O’Malley: Raising Children in the Culture Wars
With culture wars causing family rifts and self-diagnosis made easy via social media, are kids being made sick by modern life? Irish psychotherapist and author of bestselling books on parenting and mental health, Stella O’Malley, joins UnHerd to discuss the crisis facing children and parents.
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David Owen: Radical
David Owen has spent the last 60 years at the heart of British politics. After becoming a Labour MP in 1966 and serving as foreign secretary under Jim Callaghan from 1977-1979 he became disillusioned with the direction of the increasingly Left-wing Labour Party. Owen co-founded the Social Democratic Party and went on to lead it twice. In the 1990s, he was an EU peace negotiator in the former Yugoslavia and co-authored the consequential Vance-Owen Peace Plan. He joins UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to talk about his life in politics, the ideological shifts of the recent decades and the future of the British Left.
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Thomas Chatterton Williams: Race is a Fiction
Could a post-race future be possible? Thomas Chatterton Williams is an American writer for the Atlantic, living in Paris. His bestselling book ‘Self-Portrait in Black and White’ challenged contemporary dogmas about race, victimhood and responsibility. He joins UnHerd to discuss one of the most controversial questions of the 21st century.
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Liz Truss: Former Prime Minister
As arguably the most controversial Prime Minister in recent British history, Liz Truss has become the face of free market libertarianism and its discontents. She joins UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss her new book ‘Ten Years to Save the West’ and the lessons she learnt from her turbulent time as Conservative leader.
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Curtis Yarvin: Welcome to the Dark Enlightenment
Curtis Yarvin is the philosophical godfather of the so-called ‘New Right’, a movement that defies simple categories and political expectations. His writing under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug explores everything from anti-democracy to accelerationism. He joins UnHerd for an evening of conversation and audience Q&A.
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Geoff Dyer: Beauty, Anarchy and Everything Else
World-famous author Geoff Dyer has written on the charms of everything from elite tennis to experimental jazz. Perhaps most famous for his bestselling black comedy ‘Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi’, Dyer has forged a unique career as a chronicler of the stranger side of the human condition. He joins UnHerd’s Florence Read for an evening of conversation and audience Q&A.
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Helen Pluckrose & Eric Kaufmann debate ‘Did Liberals start the culture wars?’
Bestselling authors Helen Pluckrose and Eric Kaufmann might both describe themselves as classically ‘liberal’ in their politics, but they have very different ideas of what the future of the liberal project looks like. Is there hope for the principles of liberalism to challenge censorship and draconian politics, or have well meaning liberals become their own worst enemy? They join UnHerd for a public discussion of the ‘post-liberal’ moment.
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Premiere Screening and Filmmaker Q&A
Daniela Völker’s new documentary follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, as he faces his father’s terrible legacy as Camp Commandant of Auschwitz. After a preview screening of the documentary, UnHerd hosts Exec Producer Neil Blair and Director Daniela Völker for an audience Q&A. The Commandant’s Shadow will be released on July 12th.
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Alternative Election Hustings
Who should you vote for on the 4th of July? A week ahead of the general election, UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers hosts an alternative hustings to size up the competition. Our all-star cast includes Peter Hitchens arguing for the Tories (even though he wants to destroy them), Rod Liddle for the SDP, Rowenna Davis for Labour, Matt Goodwin for Reform and UnHerd’s Florence Read for the Greens.
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Peter Singer: The Moral Philosopher of Our Time
World-famous utilitarian philosopher and Princeton Professor of Bioethics, Peter Singer, has spent his career asking (and answering) questions that make even the most radical thinkers uncomfortable. He joins UnHerd to discuss his maverick moral calculus and the struggle for telos in a culture both more isolated and more connected than ever before.
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Christian revival: fantasy or reality?
With recent examples of high-profile atheists publicly converting to religious faith, or aligning with ‘cultural Christianity’, it seems the tide might be turning against secularism in Britain and America. But do stars of the rationalist movement finding faith mark a greater social shift? Joining UnHerd to discuss this very question are presenter of the ‘Unbelievable?’ podcast Justin Brierley, host of ‘The Sacred’ Elizabeth Oldfield and Alex O’Connor, otherwise known as the ‘Cosmic Skeptic’.
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Dissident Dialogues in NYC
Join UnHerd at Dissident Dialogues for a weekend of challenging ideas with free thinking speakers in the heart of NYC. Freddie Sayers will host the headline debate between Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Richard Dawkins on atheism and a roundtable on Israel/Palestine with Nathan Robinson, Briahna Joy Gray, Eli Lake and Michael Moynihan. There’s plenty more going on over the weekend and we’re looking forward to meeting more of our stateside subscribers! Get 10% off your ticket with exclusive code: UNHERD
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The Alternative Covid Inquiry
The British Covid inquiry was supposed to uncover and debate the mistakes made by the government during the pandemic years. And yet, many of the figures now proven to have been voicing legitimate concerns about lockdowns, vaccine mandates and the country’s future post-Covid were nowhere to be seen. Join UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers, Oxford professor of theoretical epidemiology Sunetra Gupta, Swedish journalist and author of ‘The Herd’ Johan Anderberg and author of ‘The Covid Consensus’ Thomas Fazi, for an alternative take on the UK’s pandemic legacy.
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Sarah Ditum vs Mary Harrington: The Tradwife Debate
After Western feminists celebrated the end of the 50s housewife, it was hard to imagine that ultra-traditional marriages would make a comeback. But the second wind of the ‘tradwife’ has become a modern social movement, with young women choosing to forgo free love in favour of serving their husbands. How did we get here? And what does the return of tradwifery tell us about our culture? Join UnHerd’s Mary Harrington and Sarah Ditum as they debate the second wind of the tradwife.
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These Times Live: War and Peace in the Middle East
From Houthi ship attacks to the spectre of Iranian aggression, the Middle East seems set to become the next front for violent conflict. Could the turbulent history of the region tell us something about what its future holds? Join These Times’ Tom McTague and Helen Thompson for the first live recording of their hit podcast, a deep dive into the politics of the Middle East.
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Michael Taylor: Dinosaurs and the death of religion
The discovery of dinosaurs upended our understanding of the origins of the world and made way for the secular age we’re living in. Now atheism seems to be falling back out of fashion, what does the war between rationalism and religion have to tell us about our future? Author and historian Michael Taylor joins UnHerd to talk about his new book ‘Impossible Monsters’.
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Rob Henderson: The Era of Luxury Beliefs
Why are the top 1% so politically correct? Rob Henderson coined the term ‘luxury beliefs’ to explain how affluent people signal high status with ‘woke’ ideas. In his new memoir ‘Troubled’, Henderson tells the story of a difficult childhood and how it opened his eyes to the hypocrisy of America’s elite. He joins UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss the concept of luxury beliefs and much more.
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Dr. Sumantra Maitra: The World after NATO
A recent essay by Director of Research at The American Ideas Institute Dr. Sumantra Maitra on a ‘dormant NATO’ recently made waves with foreign policy experts. These influential figures could end up in office should Trump win the 2024 election, so it’s worth asking: is NATO winding down? Dr. Maitra joins UnHerd to discuss the possibility of a revolutionised security state, with UnHerd writer Aris Roussinos.
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Sean Langan: ‘The Other Side’ Screening
Award-winning war reporter Sean Langan is no stranger to revealing the reality behind wartime propaganda. He has reported from the most dangerous parts of the world and was once held captive by the Taliban. For his latest film, Langan has filmed with battalions of Russian soldiers fighting in Eastern Ukraine. Join the filmmaker for an evening of conversation and exclusive clips from ‘The Other Side’.
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Emergency Event: Is the university doomed?
Amid the fallout of the Ivy League plagiarism scandal and resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, UnHerd invites philosophy professors to answer the question: can the university system be saved?
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Bring back the wolves: The rewilding debate
Rewilding is seen by some as a serious plan to restore balance to our ecosystems and by others as a nostalgic fantasy. Best-selling author and farmer John Lewis-Stempel will debate the issue with leading environmentalist Ben Goldsmith. How far is too far in the calls to restore our natural world – will we once again see wolves roaming the uplands of Europe?
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Dominic Frisby: A Christmas cabaret
Award-winning musical comedian Dominic Frisby joins UnHerd for a festive Christmas cabaret. Settle in by the fire and enjoy an evening of unacceptable songs, free-thinking company and good cheer.
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Autumn Aftermath: The UK Economy Conversation
Join Francine Lacqua, Anchor & Editor-at-large for Bloomberg TV and Freddie Sayers, UnHerd Editor-in-Chief, the day after the 2023 Autumn Statement for a panel with: John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg, Allegra Stratton, Bloomberg News contributing editor, Adrian Wooldridge, Global Business Columnist at Bloomberg Opinion and Stephanie Flanders, Head of Bloomberg Economics.
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Infidel
What happens when standing for liberal values makes you a heretic? Ayaan Hirsi Ali, exiled human rights activist & bestselling author, joins us at the UnHerd Club to discuss her enduring belief in freedom and why defending Enlightenment values matters.
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Jonathan Sumption: The new hundred years war
Former Supreme Court judge, and celebrated historian of The Hundred Years War, Jonathan Sumption joins UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss continental entanglements past and present, and the disrupted civil and international order we face today.
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Graham Linehan & Andrew Doyle: Tough crowd
Join us for an evening with multi-award wining comedian and creator of Father Ted Graham Linehan. When he came down on the ‘wrong’ side of the transgender debate, Linehan was culturally exiled. But is the comedy industry still captured? In conversation with Andrew Doyle.
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Yascha Mounk: The identity trap
Whatever happened to universalism? Academic and author of The Identity Trap, Yascha Mounk, explores how a relatively obscure and marginal set of ideas about identity have come to dominate our social, cultural and political life – and makes the case for universal, humanist values.
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John Vervaeke: Awakening from the meaning crisis
All around us are signs of crisis. UnHerd’s Flo Read and philosopher and cognitive scientist John Vervaeke sat down at the UnHerd Club to diagnose the alienation and anxiety that pervades our contemporary culture. Is a “meaning crisis” at the root of all the other crises we face – environmental, political, spiritual?
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John Gray: Thoughts after liberalism
In our disrupted age, as Russia and China continue to rise, the West faces the return of destabilising dynamics in geopolitical power. Philosopher, and author of The New Leviathans, John Gray seeks to disabuse us of the liberal certainties that have distorted the Western mind and calls for us to return to realism.
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Steven Berkoff: Do the arts need a revolution?
Few contemporary artists command such cult status as Steven Berkoff. As a pioneer of radical theatre and film, his writing and performances are amongst the most iconic of the last century. He joined UnHerd’s Florence Read in conversation about the current state of the arts and why creative freedom matters
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Vandana Shiva & Chris Smaje: The war on farming
Iconic eco activist Vandana Shiva and author of A Small Farm Future Chris Smaje join UnHerd’s Florence Read to discuss the fightback against crony corporatism and the agricultural industrial complex.
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Tom Holland: Pax
At its peak, the Roman Empire was perhaps the greatest civilisation in history. But like so many cultures before and after it, it declined and finally ended. Historian Tom Holland joined UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers.
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Hijacking Traditionalism: Esoteric philosophy & the war in Ukraine
The mysterious philosophy of Perennialism has been used and misused since its beginnings – but what influence, if any, has it had on activists on either side of the Ukraine war? Mark Sedgwick joined Freddie Sayers for this conversation and Q&A.
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UnHerd Unleashed
After the success of the first collaboration with Comedy Unleashed, UnHerd presents some of Britain’s best stand-ups for a night of uncensored jokes for a free-thinking audience. With Francis Foster (MC), Jonathan Kogan, Cressida Wetton, Victor Daniels and Lewis Schaffer.
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Cleo Watson & Tom McTague: Life inside Westminster – beyond parody
To celebrate the launch of her new novel Whips, join former aide to Boris Johnson Cleo Watson and UnHerd political editor Tom McTague to talk Tory sleaze, SW1 scandal and how to write about a government that is already a satire of itself.
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Peter Turchin & Mary Harrington: Elite overproduction
Will elite overproduction end society as we know it? Russian-American complexity scientist Peter Turchin and UnHerd’s Mary Harrington discuss the era of Western decadence and the populist backlash that followed.
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Prof. Peter Boghossian & Mike Nayna: Revenge of the reformers
As social justice continues to corrupt academic scholarship, what hope is there for the university? Filmmaker Mike Nayna and philosopher Peter Boghossian joined UnHerd for a screening of The Reformers – their brand new investigative documentary – followed by Q&A.
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Paul Kingsnorth: Resisting the machine
How can normal people resist the increasingly technocratic and soulless nature of human life? Watch writer, activist and Orthodox convert Paul Kingsnorth in conversation with UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers for a guide to finding meaning in what he calls the ‘machine’.
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Reconstruction: Paul Kingsnorth & Mary Harrington
Immerse yourself into the mind of luminary writer Paul Kingsnorth, for a Sunday seminar on the theme of reconstruction. In dialogue with UnHerd’s Mary Harrington, we asked: when there’s nothing left to conserve, what is the point of conservatism?
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Prof. David Nutt: The promise of psychedelics
Join world-famous neuropsychopharmacologist Prof. David Nutt of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London for an evening of conversation about the cutting edge frontiers of psychedelic therapy.
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Kathleen Stock: Philosophical knots
Philosopher Kathleen Stock has become one of Britain’s most radical voices of reason, celebrated for her incisive cultural theory. She joined us for an evening of conversation about the Western crisis of meaning and how to read the myths we tell ourselves.
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Hadley Freeman & Sarah Ditum: Are teenage girls in trouble?
TikTok-obsessed and swept up in the gender wars, a generation of girls is struggling with mental illness. To explore why, join author Hadley Freeman and journalist Sarah Ditum in conversation with Sally Chatterton.
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UnHerd Unleashed
In our age of censorship, one reason for hope might be that comedy can cut through the culture wars. In UnHerd’s inaugural collaboration with Comedy Unleashed, join comedians Josh Howie, Alistair Williams, Rosie Wilby, Tania Edwards and Leo Kearse.
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Iain McGilchrist: The matter with things
From the left-brain right-brain divide to the metaphysics of magic, Dr Iain McGilchrist addresses the profound questions of living well. The esteemed thinker will be in conversation with Freddie Sayers.
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Nick Cave: In conversation with Freddie Sayers
Faith, Hope & Carnage: Join legendary musician and bestselling writer Nick Cave as he discusses his new book and beyond with UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers.
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The technocrat restoration: Has populism run out of steam?
In what appears to be a new golden age for the technocrat, UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers brings together a panel of political writers, Professor Matthew Goodwin, Baroness Claire Fox and Tom McTague to ask: is the party over for populists?
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UnHerd Lates: Live recording with special guests
A chance to gather with fellow free-thinkers for an evening of open discussion. Freddie Sayers and Florence Read will be joined by three stellar guests, all UnHerd contributors but from very different sides of the political spectrum. They are: fearless Leftist writer Aaron Bastani, radical philosopher Nina Power and firebrand trade unionist Paul Embery.
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Lionel Shriver: Insensitivity reader
If offence is against the rules, what hope is there for radical writing? Join world-famous author Lionel Shriver to discuss the decline of in-your-face fiction and the sinister rise of sensitivity readers.
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Hannah Barnes: The truth about the Tavistock clinic
The 2022 downfall of the Tavistock clinic in London was a decisive turning point in the debate around trans healthcare in the UK. Award-winning Newsnight journalist Hannah Barnes joins UnHerd Editor, Sally Chatterton, to reveal the results of her explosive investigation into the clinic and the medical scandal that followed.
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The Ukraine Debate
A year on from the Russian invasion, we ask if ongoing Western involvement is really the best way to end the war in Ukraine. Does the US and Europe have a moral responsibility to keep sending weapons and training soldiers if the conflict is drawn out?
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UnHerd Lates: Live with Ralph Schoellhammer & Silkie Carlo
A chance to gather with fellow free-thinkers for an evening of open discussion. For the second of our UnHerd Lates Freddie Sayers and Florence Read will be joined by special guests Ralph Schoellhammer, Silkie Carlo alongside other guests to debate and dissect the topics of the week over drinks and music.
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Zoe Strimpel vs Louise Perry: This house is proud to be promiscuous
Has hookup culture left women less happy? Louise Perry, UnHerd contributor and author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, goes head-to-head with Zoe Strimpel, historian, author and columnist on the era of casual sex.
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Andrew Doyle: The rise of the new puritans
How did the West get overtaken by social justice zealots? Join Andrew Doyle, political satirist and author of The New Puritans, for a discussion and drinks at UnHerd HQ. Hosted by UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers.
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An evening with Bret Easton Ellis
Is there room for radical art in 2023? Join Bret Easton Ellis, maverick author of American Psycho, to discuss his latest novel The Shards. Hosted by Jacob Furedi.
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Launch of UnHerd Lates
A chance to gather with fellow free thinkers and celebrate the launch of our new Lates programme. Join Freddie Sayers, Florence Read and special guests: Konstantin Kisin, and Izabella Kaminska.
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Mary Harrington & Elise Bohan: The transhumanism debate
Author of Future Superhuman and Oxford University AI ethicist, Elise Bohan, and UnHerd’s Mary Harrington come together to discuss transhumanism – the idea that human limits such as longevity and cognition can be pushed back and back using technology. Is this a utopian vision of a better future or a dystopian nightmare?
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Coleman Hughes: Defeating the race baiters
Join American culture critic and rapper Coleman Hughes and UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss the combustion of American race politics, the legacy of Black Lives Matter, and how to tackle a race-centred ideology that only furthers divisions.
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Matthew Crawford: Gratitude in a time of apocalypse
Join philosopher and bestselling author Matthew B Crawford for a New Year’s lecture and evening of discussion on how, during a time that seems so apocalyptic, we can still find gratitude. Let the author of The Case for Working with Your Hands persuade you that the Cosmos is fundamentally on our side.
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Helen Joyce & Julie Bindel: Should TERFs unite with the right?
The UK’s ‘gender critical’ feminists have been instrumental in the fight for sex-based rights. But one question risks dividing the movement: should they ally with Right wing forces in pursuit of their objectives? Author of ‘Trans’ Helen Joyce and women’s rights campaigner Julie Bindel hash it out.
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Ariel Pink & Winston Marshall: Freedom of expression in the music industry
Indie legend Ariel Pink became a pariah from the music business after he attended the January 6th rallies in support of Donald Trump. We ask him if there’s a free speech problem in the arts, in conversation with Winston Marshall, who left the band Mumford and Sons after a media storm of his own.
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Adam Curtis: Inside the propaganda machine
His documentaries are enigmatic, macabre and downright mind-bending. Join cult documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis in conversation with UnHerd’s Aris Roussinos alongside an exclusive screening of hand-selected archive clips.
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Andrew Sullivan: In conversation with Freddie Sayers
British then American, conservative Catholic then Obama voter and activist for gay marriage, writer Andrew Sullivan is no stranger to shifting philosophies. We ask him, in an increasingly divided United States, what will become of the American spirit? Stay for drinks and good conversation.
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National Conservatism and the UK: Is now the moment?
Israeli philosopher Yoram Hazony is at the forefront of a new group of conservatives who are trying to bring the nation and religion back to the Right. Do they represent a post-liberal future? Freddie Sayers will attempt to find out, followed by Q&A and drinks.
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