Is it becoming impossible to be contrarian?

Partners:

This special Battle of Ideas festival 10th anniversary debate of the Contrarian Prize is taking place at Bayes Business School – book tickets and find out more here.

Is freedom of expression under threat?

Shutting down discussion with those who do not share a particular view – especially online – appears to be a rising trend around the world.

Some fear that suppressing these views, rather than engaging with or challenging them, has now become the norm within great institutions of liberal democracy – including the media – to the extent that anything considered objectionable is not just ignored but “cancelled”, leading to public vilification of those holding such views.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, a panel will look back at the rationale for establishing the prize, how contrarianism has evolved over the past decade and whether it can survive.

Speakers include:

Michael Crick
journalist; author, One Party After Another, a biography of Nigel Farage

Professor Sunetra Gupta
professor of theoretical epidemiology, University of Oxford

Professor Andre Spicer
dean, Bayes Business School

Peter Tatchell
humans-rights campaigner; founder, Peter Tatchell Foundation

Michael Woodford
former CEO, Olympus Corporation