Politics & Society

Sir Ken Robinson addresses the fundamental economic, cultural, social and personal purposes of education. He argues that education should be personalised to every student’s talent, passion, and learning styles, and that creativity should be embedded in the culture of every single school. Chair: Matthew Taylor, RSA chief executive. Supported by Samsung Mobile Listen to the

We call for a different way of thinking about both democracy and society. Healthy democracies are able to promote responsiveness and accountability between institutions, experts and citizens; whilst those that fail to do lack precisely those qualities. We need to look beyond the ballot box – understanding elections and electoral democracy one part of a

How did the internet giants come to dominate our world? Big Tech firms are now some of the richest and most powerful entities on the planet – and we’re starting to see the effects of this extreme concentration of power, in the shocking ways these platforms have been used to manipulate our elections, violate our

Award-winning food writer Michael Pollan shows how we can become more mindful of what we eat, and how we can make food choices that are better for ourselves and our environment

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences. Award-winning professor of neuroscience Matthew Walker provides a fascinating insight in to why it is vital we start taking sleep seriously. Watch Matthew Walker, director of the Centre for Human Sleep Science,

We have taken huge steps towards tackling some of the biggest threats on humanity throughout history, and in many ways our lives have never been better! So where do we go from here? Author and historian Rutger Bregman argues that in order to continue towards a better world, we need big ideas and a robust

Adam Phillips, one of Britain’s most renowned psychoanalysts and literary figures, joins RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor for a conversation about life, the universe, and everything (and maybe a little Freud as well). Follow the RSA on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thersaorg Like the RSA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thersaorg Our events are made possible with the support of our

In May this year, James Williams, a former Google employee and doctoral candidate researching design ethics at Oxford University, won the inaugural US$100,000 Nine Dots Prize. James argues that digital technologies privilege our impulses over our intentions, and are gradually diminishing our ability to engage with the issues we most care about. Watch James Williams,

In the latest event in our series on spirituality in the 21st century, psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist considers the status of the soul. Once considered the most important part, indeed the whole purpose, of a human life – has science has now rendered the idea of the soul irretrievably redundant? If so, what have

Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores how cognitive diversity can strengthen individual, team and institutional performance and outlines how its power becomes more profound when implemented into problem solving, coming up with creative ideas and strategies, new products and businesses.

The 21st century presents us with huge challenges. How can we empower people to be active participants in creating a world we want to live in? In this extract from his annual RSA Chief Executive’s Lecture, Matthew Taylor offers a vision for the future – a world where every individual has the freedom and opportunity

Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google [X], having applied his superior skills of logic and problem solving to the issue of happiness, he proposed an algorithm based on an understanding of how the brain takes in and processes joy and sadness. He essentially ‘solved’ for happy. Watch Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google

Watch this backstage interview with Vanessa Van Edwards, behavioural investigator and author of ‘Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People’. These bite-sized interviews offer backstage access insights – with brand new, updated questions, hear about what makes Vanessa happy, who inspires her, and what she’s most curious about! SUBSCRIBE NOW to get these bite-sized interviews

Renowned behavioural scientist and No 10 ‘nudge’ guru David Halpern discusses how minor tweaks can have a huge effect in the world of decision-making. Watch the full replay: https://youtu.be/4XSKEM9FiZU RSA Spotlights – taking you straight to the heart of the event, highlighting our favourite moments and key talking points. In this excerpt from the event

In this powerful new RSA Minimate, TIME’s Editor-at-Large Anand Giridharadas argues that while the winners of our age might be well meaning in their desire to give back, too many stop short at the kinds of real change that would see power more radically distributed. The minds behind the award-winning RSA Animate series are back!