Rsa Events

Former technology editor at Newsweek and co-producer and writer of HBO’s Silicon Valley, Dan Lyons spent many years reporting on the tech explosion. But when he joined one of the buzzy Boston start-ups that typify the industry, he ended up with a fascinating inside perspective. Lyons is one of the lone dissenting voices amongst the tech hype, and visits the RSA to reveal the dysfunctional culture that prevails in a world flush with money and devoid of experience. He provides a unique analysis of the sometimes bizarre start-up world; a de facto conspiracy between those who start companies and those who fund them.

As part of a series of Radio 4 programmes reflecting and examining the political and cultural landscape in Britain after the Brexit vote, Front Row will pick up from Today with a live broadcast in front of an audience at the RSA. Hosted by John Wilson, the discussion will feature leading creative figures, including actor and director Samuel West, novelists Val McDermid and Dreda Say Mitchell, TV producer Phil Redmond and designer Wayne Hemingway, to consider the artistic impact of the decision to leave the EU and how our culture will change over the next 10 years.

Krista Tippett joins the RSA to explore the enduring question of what it is to be human, and how we can learn to live with greater, joy, compassion and wisdom, both individually and collectively. By weaving together insights from these conversations, she offers a distinctive, grounded and optimistic vision of 21st century humanity. The central challenges of our time, she argues - from definitions of life itself, to the meaning of community and family and identity, to our relationships to technology and through technology - are individual and civilizational all at once. Personal growth and the renewal of our common public life are inextricably linked.

What are the key current and future challenges facing the gambling industry – and for the politicians and regulators seeking to protect the consumer? As Philip Graf, Chair of the Gambling Commission, comes towards the end of his term, he reflects on the changing nature of the gambling industry and the challenges ahead for regulators.

Where now for civic engagement? In the wake of a shock referendum result, and a campaign that exposed deep social, economic and political divisions, it’s clear that we need a new approach to democratic engagement. A panel of experts including Women’s Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer and Compass’ Neal Lawson gather to explore what the ideal 21st century political party might look like.

How much of what we do is driven by the automatic and the unconscious? When should we bring conscious reasoning to bear? What kinds of tasks is consciousness good for? Nicholas Shea and Barry Smith present a new research project bringing together philosophy, psychology and neuroscience to explore the purpose of consciousness.

What will your 100-year life look like? Does the thought of working for 60 or 70 years fill you with dread? Or can you see the potential for a more stimulating future as a result of having so much extra time? Offsetting the excess of negative debate about longevity, Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott take a fundamentally different approach - seeing long life an opportunity for a fundamental restructuring of finances and careers, and of relationships and leisure – in other words, for a redesign of life.

The very near future presents a critical turning-point for the FE & Skills sector; many challenges and opportunities, not least of which are around funding, in addition to Area Reviews and the commitment to 3 million apprenticeship starts, invite a raft of questions about the future of further education and skills training. Join us to explore and re-imagine custom and practice within technical and professional education, a sector which continues to be critical to securing social and economic flourishing – for this generation and into the future.

Author and activist Ashton Applewhite uncovers the roots of ageism and shows how ageist myths and stereotypes cripple the way our brains and bodies function. It’s time, she argues, to expose these myths, and to create a world of age equality by making discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind.

The RSA launches the Citizens Economic Council, asking: can citizens really be economists, and what might the extent of their role and influence in shaping economic policy be?

What are young people’s opportunities today? Do their social and digital networks offer new routes to learning? What is the meaning of education in a digitally connected but fiercely competitive and individualised world? At the RSA, Professor Sonia Livingstone presents the results of her most recent fieldwork, based on the experiences of young teenagers growing up and learning in a digital world. In her study she explores youth values and prospects as well as tactics for facing the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Richard Clarke shares his journey from RSA Student Design Award winner to global head of advanced innovation at Nike, and explores the power of design in problem solving and shaping the future.

With the historic referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU impending, we look back on how the campaign has played out, look ahead to the likely result and post-vote fallout. Our panel of expert commentators assess the decisive issues in the remaining days before the vote, and look ahead to possible post-referendum landscape scenarios. If ‘remain’ carries the day, is the question of the UK’s relationship with Europe truly settled for at least a generation? If the result is close, will the clamour for a re-run intensify? If Brexit prevails, the ‘what next’ questions are myriad – for our economy, society and politics.

As we draw nearer to 23rd June and the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, we bring together Nick Clegg and Andrea Leadsom from either side of the debate, in a special conversation format. By allowing each advocate to make their case positively, and by seeking clarity on what really divides them – as well as where points of agreement may lie – we’ll aim to get closer to the heart of the European matter, and the historic decision the country now faces.

Why don’t money and friendship mix? Can money buy happiness? Why does money have such a hold on us? The surprising psychology of money reveals that our relationship with it is more complex than we might think. At the RSA, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster Claudia Hammond explores the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, biology and behavioral economics, and offers some simple yet effective advice that can help us improve our relationship with money.

It is time to reimagine how life is organised on Earth. We're accelerating into a future shaped less by countries and more by mega-cities; less by borders and more by connectivity. A world in which the most connected powers, and people, will win. Leading strategist Parag Khanna shows how the global connectivity revolution - in transport, infrastructure, communications - has upended the ‘geography is destiny’ mantra, and how connectivity, not sovereignty, has become the organising principle of 21st century society.

What does it mean to be a man today? Although there is still much work to do, there is a growing public awareness of the need to counter the negative stereotypes that have traditionally limited girls and women. But less is being done to question the accepted rules of masculinity. Join author Rebecca Asher and our panel at the RSA to explore where these problems come from, and what can be done to address them - for the benefit of us all.

Britain is currently enjoying something of a boom in enterprise and self-employment. Many of Europe’s ‘unicorns’ – new firms worth over $1 billion - call the UK home. But few of the greatest firms created in the last 30 years are British, as new American and Chinese start-ups dominate the global super-league of world-beaters. Is Britain losing its edge? And if so what needs to change?

The sharing economy has grown rapidly in the last 5 years, and is now popularized by big players such as Airbnb and Uber. But with growth, come growing pains. As the sector comes of age, what steps need to be taken now to unlock its full social potential and to ensure it remains an economic model that empowers not exploits? Rachel Botsman returns to the RSA to look back on the evolution of the sector; to consider where it's heading next – who will be the next breakout venture to be cited alongside Airbnb and Uber and what about the smaller ventures that are critical to the healthy diversity of the sector?

What informs our views on crime? Why do myths prevail across the political spectrum? How can we begin to understand crime for what it is – as a risk that can be managed and, more importantly, reduced? In this talk at the RSA, policy adviser Tom Gash analyses how our obsession with universal rules to explain crime's causes can lead us to irreversible mistaken individual cases.