Battle of Ideas Festival
Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th October 2024
Church House, Westminster, London
At a time when freedom of speech is increasingly under threat, it’s reassuring to know that there is a place where open and frank discussion is still possible and encouraged. At the Battle of Ideas Festival, you can choose from a wide variety of debates and discussions taking place over one action-packed weekend.
This year there are plenty of panel debates that may appeal to those with an interest in mental health. The programme and speakers have still to be finalised, but here are those listed to date:
James Esses of Thoughtful Therapists, Frank Furedi, Kate Harris and Graham Linehan
Is ‘queering’ simply a new way of looking at the world or is there something to be defended in our understanding of binaries and boundaries?
From Neurodiversity to Gender Dysphoria: Is There a Problem of Over-Diagnosis?
Dr Jennifer Cunningham of Scottish Union for Education (SUE), Sally Millard.
Do medical diagnoses help people understand their difficulties in interacting with the world? What are the implications for medical ethics and health policy, when diagnoses have become so closely linked to understanding our identities?
Meet the Author: Greg Lukianoff on ‘The Canceling of the American Mind’
Greg Lukianoff, co-author with Jonathan Haidt of ‘The Coddling of the American Mind’, talks about his latest book.
From WPATH to the Cass Review: The Crisis in Medical Ethics
Stella O’Malley, psychotherapist, and Director of Genspect, Jennifer Lahl, Dr Margaret McCartney.
Has a central idea of medicine – ‘first, do no harm’ – been lost in pursuit of what is politically correct? Have we given up on the cool-headed pursuit of medical ethics? And what do we need to do to restore trust in doctors?
Letters on Liberty: Escaping the Straightjacket of Mental Health
Dr Ken McLaughlin, Dr Carole Sherwood, of Save Mental Health
Does our current approach to mental health risk failing the people who need it most. Is normalising mental health by talking about it as something everyone shares a good thing? Or does the relativisation of mental stresses as mental illness risk trivialising the more serious cases of mental ill health?
You can book your tickets for the Battle of Ideas here