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Our new ‘Ideas’ section will be updated regularly with a range of articles to encourage debate. Why not join an existing thread, or start your own discussion by using the comments boxes on our events and ideas pages? We’d love to hear your views. If you would like to subscribe to our RSS Ideas feed, please click on the orange XML logo below (click here to read more about our RSS feeds).
“Ideas notebook - Jonathan Watts”
By Jonathan Watts
We asked Jonathan Watts to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Clay Shirky"
By Clay Shirky
We asked Clay Shirky to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Christine Nicol"
By Christine Nicol
We asked Christine Nicol, Professor of Animal Welfare, Farm Animal Science and Animal Husbandry at the University of Bristol, to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
By Mike Jay
We asked scientific historian Mike Jay to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Wendy Grossman"
By Wendy Grossman
We asked journalist and blogger, Wendy Grossman, to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Michèle Roberts"
By Michèle Roberts
We asked writer Michèle Roberts to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Christine Mohr"
By Christine Mohr
We asked neuropsychologist, Christine Mohr, to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - David Boyd Haycock"
By David Boyd Haycock
We asked David Boyd Haycock to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
By Jon Turney
We asked science journalist and writer, Jon Turney, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Brooke Magnanti"
By Brooke Magnanti
We asked research scientist and writer, Brooke Magnanti, to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
By Marek Kohn
We asked science writer, Marek Kohn, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Gary Younge"
By Gary Younge
We asked Gary Younge to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - John Geiger"
By John Geiger
We asked John Geiger to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Dorothy Rowe"
By Dorothy Rowe
We asked psychologist Dorothy Rowe to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Peter Hitchens"
By Peter Hitchens
We asked Peter Hitchens, journalist, author and broadcaster, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
By Peter Fosl
We asked Peter Fosl, Professor of Philosophy at Transylvania University, Lexington KY, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Michael Foley"
By Michael Foley
We asked Michael Foley, author of The Age of Absurdity, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett"
By Kate Pickett
We asked Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett to comment on their current work and ideas that have influenced them... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - John Cottingham"
By John Cottingham
We asked John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John's College Oxford, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Sarah Bakewell"
By Sarah Bakewell
We asked writer Sarah Bakewell to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Peter Singer"
By Peter Singer
We asked philosopher Peter Singer to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Phillip Blond"
By Phillip Blond
We asked internationally recognised political thinker, and economic and cultural commentator Phillip Blond to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Julian Baggini"
By Julian Baggini
We asked writer and philosopher Julian Baggini to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Jonathan Balcombe"
By Jonathan Balcombe
Jonathan Balcombe, author of Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, speaks at a special Festival event next week. We asked him to comment ... Read more »
By Tim Dee
We asked BBC Radio producer Tim Dee to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Albie Sachs"
By Albie Sachs
We asked Albie Sachs, a judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
Break the Eerie Silence - send a message into space!
By Penguin Books and National Science and Engineering Week
To link in with our Paul Davies event on 18th March, we are promoting a special competition from Penguin UK and National Science and Engineering Week... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Suzanne Rolt"
By Suzanne Rolt
We asked Suzanne Rolt, Director of St George's Bristol, to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"My three books of the decade..."
By Andrew Kelly
Happy New Year! The programme for the May 2010 Bristol Festival of Ideas is already taking shape and will be announced fully in March, but in the meantime we’re delighted to feature some excellent speakers ... Read more »
"Should You Judge This Book By its Cover?"
By Julian Baggini
Good, new ideas are hard to come by, which justifies our reliance on good, old ones. No point in re-inventing the wheel, after all, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the problem with old, received wisdom – like the two sayings I’ve just used – is that ... Read more »
By Simon Gurr
Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and the Bristol Festival of Ideas recently awarded the commission for the new painting Some Who Have Made Bristol Famous to Bristol artist and illustrator Simon Gurr. ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Raymond Tallis"
By Raymond Tallis
We asked gerontologist and philosopher, Raymond Tallis, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Alain de Botton"
By Alain de Botton
We asked philosopher and author, Alain de Botton, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Gillian Beer"
By Gillian Beer
We asked Dame Gillian Beer DBE to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Jeremy Leggett"
By Jeremy Leggett
We asked Jeremy Leggett, one of the world's foremost experts on renewable power, energy policy and climate, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Chris Goodall"
By Chris Goodall
We asked expert on climate change solutions, Chris Goodall, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - David Aaronovitch"
By David Aaronovitch
We asked award-winning journalist, David Aaronovitch, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
By Bruce Hood
We asked Professor Bruce Hood (Psychology Department, University of Bristol), to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Christopher Brookmyre"
By Christopher Brookmyre
We asked novelist, Christopher Brookmyre, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - James Harkin"
By James Harkin
We asked philosopher and writer James Harkin, author of Big Ideas and Cyburbia to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
By Nick Cohen
We asked Nick Cohen, author and feature writer on the Observer, to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Nick Davies on his shortlisted book: 'Flat Earth News'"
By Nick Davies
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
"Sara Maitland on her shortlisted book: 'A Book of Silence'"
By Sara Maitland
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
"Mark Leonard on his shortlisted book: 'What Does China Think?'"
By Mark Leonard
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
"Richard Holmes on his shortlisted book: 'The Age of Wonder'"
By Richard Holmes
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
"Misha Glenny on his shortlisted book: 'McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime'"
By Misha Glenny
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
"Susan Faludi on her shortlisted book: 'The Terror Dream'"
By Susan Faludi
We invited the six shorlisted authors for the first Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize to talk to us about their nominated books. ... Read more »
By John Gray
We asked philosopher and writer John Gray to comment on his current work and ideas that have influenced him... ... Read more »
"Ideas notebook - Susan Blackmore"
By Susan Blackmore
We asked psychologist and memeticist Susan Blackmore to comment on her current work and ideas that have influenced her... ... Read more »
"The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius"
By Graham Farmelo
We asked physicist Graham Farmelo to talk about his new book, The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius, and about Dirac's relationship with Bristol... ... Read more »
By Andrew Kelly
This February marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. The Bristol Festival of Ideas is celebrating Darwin’s birthday throughout the year ... Read more »
By Andrew Kelly
Since 2003, Bristol’s annual Great Reading Adventure has encouraged everyone in the city to read the same book at the same time with tens of thousands of books being distributed free of charge at the start of each year. Today, ... Read more »
By Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr
We asked Bristol-based writer Eugene Byrne and illustrator Simon Gurr to talk about their most recent collaboration for Bristol's seventh Great Reading Adventure: Darwin: A Graphic Biography. This is the third book they have produced together ... Read more »
By Andrew Kelly
The Shell study Learning to Love Science says that children’s interest in science wanes after the age of 14. Andrew Kelly of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership (BCDP) looks at the findings and how Bristol and the West of England ... Read more »
By Barry Taylor
"Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don't allow our enemies to have guns, why should we allow them to have ideas?" So said Stalin, sounding much like previous and subsequent dictators. ... Read more »