Society

There are so many times we see women offered fitness opportunities to look good. It's the bikini guides and all those other things… In reality, there's so much more to understanding how women exercise, what helps them train effectively, and why exercise matters during key stages in life such as pregnancy.

British Olympic heptathlon champion and gold medalist

It's only the latest iteration of post-1980s capitalism which has disconnected us so much from the common good, our collective interest in care and compassion. Before that, capitalism wasn't really like that – and if you think about the style of capitalism we observe in continental Europe and Asia – there's been a much higher emphasis on community.

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

I remember one particular interview with a boy, Peter, aged just 14. He told me how he posted on Instagram and then waited and waited for someone to like his posts. When they didn't' it made him feel awful and invisible. It's so heart-wrenching to think of that.

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

Whether we look at the rioters who converged on the capital, the Gamestop Redditors, Incels or Qanon followers, what they have in common is that they're groups of people who are lonely and craving community. Right wing populists have very effectively spoken to this feeling. Trump and Le Pen talk about the 'forgotten people' they say 'we hear you' – That fundamental need for human connection is missing for significant swathes of our population, and that's dangerous.

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

The neo-liberal capitalist mindset has also been a huge contributor to loneliness. Since the 1980s, alongside Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, a new form of economics came to the fore which enshrined the pursuit of self-interest over the pursuit of collective good. That generated the mindset we see today- me first, dog-eat-dog, greed is good… that inevitably begets a world where people feel less connected to each-other, more atomised, and many ended up feeling marginalised and unseen.

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

Human cooperation is the greatest force in history- it enabled us to put people on the moon, build microprocessors and advance medicine. Human cooperation with intelligent machines will define the next era of history.

Creator of AI baby "Baby X" & facial animation technology pioneer

The story is told sincerely, but the cumulative effect is misleading – a subconsciously organised trick. The whole show is ultimately anchored around the wizard, a character who comes on stage one day to reveal how they got to the very top – they will tell a moving story often involving their mother, how they were taught about hard work, seizing opportunity and being resilient.

If I could change only one thing about public understanding of the meritocratic structures in our world, it would be to give more recognition to our hidden heroes. These are often people just below the levels we would consider as being 'the elite.' They don't even realise themselves that they are heroes because of the confidential nature of the work.

Connection is not a nice to have. When we lose the right kinds of connections with others, we start to feel we don't exist. Buried underneath the complexity and the contempt, there's something wrong with how we're connecting as a society that's fuelling the anger we see.

Ernest Becker proposed that we still worship, it's just that we worship money and political leaders or become members of cults, conspiracy groups or yoga! These are just different ways of dealing with death and anxiety.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Denial of Death

People knew they were risking their lives going out for George Floyd, for #BLM. People were sure that they were risking death when building mutual aid webs or asking for dignity on the streets. People are choosing humanity, dignity, freedom and equality as ideals even when they perceive a risk of dying.

Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for critical writings on democracy

Power requires oppression. In order to be powerful, you have to stand upon something. Strength comes from within. We are seeing the emergence of new political organisms with strength not power at the core. From Moscow to Hong Kong and India to the United States, powerless organisations are creating strong governance without power.

Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for critical writings on democracy

Our system has never defined what it means to be 'good' – what is the ideal human being in capitalism? Is it Jeff Bezos? Is it Steve Jobs? They thrived, they profited, are they 'moral'? The ideal human profile of capitalism does not fit with our basic human dignity.

Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for critical writings on democracy

The will to live together is the fundamental pillar that keeps society going- and that pillar is now under threat. This new messy form of fascism that we have been subjected to in several countries is damaging these fundaments. We are losing the will to live together… What will we do when we lose the will to live together? That's one of the fundamental questions of our time.

Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for critical writings on democracy

Today, we have a concept called the metaverse. The future of everything offline will be migrated online. Everyone will have their own digital life, and this introduces changes to our understanding of ownership. If you have a bottle of water in your house, it belongs to you. Nobody can touch it without your permission, nobody can get into your house without your permission. This doesn't apply to the internet world. Facebook can access your room and your house without your consent.

Founder of TRON blockchain platform & cryptocurrency entrepreneur

There's a cliché that astronauts don't see borders- but we do. The India-Pakistan border is clearly visible from space, as is the North-South Korea border. You can see our politics playing out – you can see the glow of humanity thriving, and the absence of light where it doesn't. We need to figure out our politics – it really determines the quality of life for all.

NASA Astronaut & International Space Station Commander