The shows

Childhood is an injustice. Childhood infantilises, exploits, and oppresses children. Dr Philip Cook (The University of Edinburgh) argues that justice demands we abolish childhood. But how can we abolish childhood? And would abolishing childhood harm …

Continue reading "Abolish Childhood! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Men are sexual predators and women are sex objects – or so advertisers tell us. ‘Sexy’ themes have been used in advertising for decades, based on the notion that ‘sex sells’. From yoghurt ads to …

Continue reading "What Does Sex Sell? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Your pictures and regrettable digital utterings are public… Google, Facebook and Amazon know… well, everything… You’re tracked and logged across cyberspace and there’s nothing you can do! Or is there? Join Nicola Osborne (EDINA, University …

Continue reading "Privacy is Dead, Long Live Privacy! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Did you always sit at the back in class? Were you bored? Or maybe you were one of the lucky ones who was engaged and inspired by a teacher? Many people have memories and strong …

Continue reading "Hey, You at the Back! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Bills, dating, raising children – life is challenging enough! Who wants to think about potential future health issues and care needs with more immediate matters to consider? Unfortunately, decisions don’t become easier when you are …

Continue reading "Who Do You Want to Wipe Your Bum? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

How dangerous is silence in the archive? Archivist Rachel Hosker (The University of Edinburgh) returns to the Cabaret to explore the awkward and uncomfortable issue of silence in archives. Is silence a warning? What are …

Continue reading "Silence in the Archive (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Your supermarket knows when you’re pregnant; Google knows what medical conditions you have; Facebook could help your doctor diagnose you. What if Google sent a record of your search terms to your doctor to notify …

Continue reading "Dr Google Will See You Now! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The public actively engage in decision-making processes, from referendums and elections to choosing singing contest winners. Often the results of these are contested and debated, and questions arise over whether the public made the right …

Continue reading "Listening to the Public is Dangerous! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Discussions about drug use and drug policy often involve stories – personal experience combined with knowledge gleamed from the media and other sources. But how are these stories translated into policy, and what validity should …

Continue reading "Doing MORE Drugs (Policy) (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Isn’t the expression ‘having a senior moment’ awful? Yet people often think of changes in their mental skills with age in terms of decline. While some people do experience these changes, others do not. So …

Continue reading "What Keeps You Sharp? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Do you love your country? Does the sight of your national flag fill you with pride? Whatever your nationality, patriotism is a hugely significant part of modern life, influencing everything from the cars we buy …

Continue reading "The Problem with Patriotism (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Is anyone truly monolingual anymore? Knowing dialects, learning languages at school, and hearing migrant speakers make everybody ‘bilingual’ to some extent. This means that the mother tongue changes, in completely natural and predictable ways. It …

Continue reading "Monolinguals, Where Are You? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Scotland was once considered a ‘soft-touch’ on female genital mutilation (FGM), failing to protect 23,979 affected residents. Oonagh O’Brien (Queen Margaret University) and Jerusalem Barnabas (Waverley Care) argue that things are changing. Greater steps are …

Continue reading "Never a Soft Touch (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Science is thought of as the definitive truth of our time. It claims to sit at the apex of the tree of knowledge. But there’s a problem: most scientific findings are (possibly) false. If this …

Continue reading "Science is F***ed (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Do you always approach life logically, making careful decisions based on sound evidence and facts? Health warning! You may be suffering from abnormally high levels of rationality. This can be dangerous! Too much reason can …

Continue reading "Stop Making Sense (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The history of mental disorder is full of instances of labels of mental disorders being used to control what was deemed as unacceptable or dangerous. The science of mental health is as much determined by …

Continue reading "We’re All Mental! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The magical internet-providing properties of fibre optics are well-known. But hardly anyone has heard of fibre optics that can diagnosis cancer or detect gravity waves, and Matthew Partridge (Southampton University) is not happy about that. …

Continue reading "Fibre Optics Can Save the World! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Psychiatrist Stephen Lawrie (The University of Edinburgh) thinks mental illness is needlessly controversial – and the controversy is destroying our mental health services. Artificial battle-lines are drawn between two stereotypes: ‘pill-peddling’ doctors under the influence …

Continue reading "Why is Mental Illness So Goddamn Controversial? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Batman is the world’s greatest scientist and we can prove it. School of Batman is a podcast where academics help Batman fight crime utilising their research. In this show, it starts with a tour of …

Continue reading "School of Batman – Live! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The internet presents new opportunities for being both hidden and exposed.  Intelligence agencies and various governments fret about the advantages online anonymity gives miscreants and malcontents. Libertarians and civil liberties activists point to the technically and increasingly …

Continue reading "Turn to the Darknet (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Everybody believes that education is good: the more, the better. But what if the benefits of education are mainly due to knowing different languages? Does this mean we don’t need to study maths, biology or …

Continue reading "Ditch the Classroom; Speak in Tongues! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The magical internet-providing properties of fibre optics are well-known. But hardly anyone has heard of fibre optics that can diagnosis cancer or detect gravity waves, and Matthew Partridge (Southampton University) is not happy about that. …

Continue reading "Fibre Optics Can Save the World! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

What do dirty floors and corrupted politicians have in common? They are both revolting. Disgust evolved to protect us from contamination and harm, being it physical or moral. But are these feelings an immovable reality …

Continue reading "Disgust for Dummies (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The cows that made the milk that went into your tea or your cereal this morning might be housed all year round in large sheds. The dairy sector is changing from the image we all …

Continue reading "Cows Eat Grass, Don’t They? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

We’re all brainwashed, biased and influenced by personal experience, even scientists. But there are ways to notice and counter this. Join scientists Professor David Finnegan (The University of Edinburgh) and Sarah Keer-Keer (Wellcome Trust Centre for …

Continue reading "All News is Fake News! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Your pictures and regrettable digital utterings are public… Google, Facebook and Amazon know… well, everything… You’re tracked and logged across cyberspace and there’s nothing you can do! Or is there? Join Nicola Osborne (EDINA, University …

Continue reading "Privacy is Dead, Long Live Privacy! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Isn’t the expression ‘having a senior moment’ awful? Yet people often think of changes in their mental skills with age in terms of decline. While some people do experience these changes, others do not. So …

Continue reading "What Keeps You Sharp? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Everybody believes that education is good: the more, the better. But what if the benefits of education are mainly due to knowing different languages? Does this mean we don’t need to study maths, biology or …

Continue reading "Ditch the Classroom; Speak in Tongues! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

And we can learn from them.  Across the globe, many footballers and other athletes have actively engaged with issues related to peace, racism and social inequities.  These voices not only highlight important social and political …

Continue reading "Footballers Have Feelings Too (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

  Have you ever admitted to something you didn’t do? At home? At work? What would it take to own up to breaking the law? It’s surprisingly common for innocent people to confess to crimes …

Continue reading "Suspect Confessions (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Jan Clarkson (University of Dundee/NHS Education for Scotland) and Craig Ramsay (The University of Aberdeen) told us at previously Cabarets to stop brushing our teeth and to skip our scale and polish. Can we conclude …

Continue reading "Politics of the Tooth Fairy (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Science is thought of as the definitive truth of our time. It claims to sit at the apex of the tree of knowledge. But there’s a problem: most scientific findings are (possibly) false. If this …

Continue reading "Science is F***ed (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Is anyone truly monolingual anymore? Knowing dialects, learning languages at school, and hearing migrant speakers make everybody ‘bilingual’ to some extent. This means that the mother tongue changes, in completely natural and predictable ways. It …

Continue reading "Monolinguals, Where Are You? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Is copyright necessary? Does it hinder or does it help? What would happen if there was no copyright? Without it, who benefits and who loses out? Is copyright just for large corporations? Or does copyright …

Continue reading "No Copyright, No Problem? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Do you want to reveal yourself to the world? Does your data show more than you think? To whom? We think our personal information is private. But should it be? New laws seek to protect …

Continue reading "The Naked Blind Data Show (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

With growing pressure on the planet’s resources, food production is having to get more high-tech. Are you worried about what’s in it? From looking at food provisions in extreme environments like space, researchers and engineers …

Continue reading "Is Astronaut Food the Future? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Dr Amy Davies (Heriot-Watt University) invites you to delve into the deep oceans and dark forests where enchanting fluorescent creatures, such as jellyfish and fireflies, live. Their fluorescence has allowed scientists to make other animals …

Continue reading "The Dark Side of Fluorescence (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Toxic masculinity is blamed for everything from the #MeToo movement to rates of male suicide. Dr Fiona McQueen (Edinburgh Napier University) wants to know whether men becoming more emotional can undo the nasty sides of …

Continue reading "Big Boys Don’t Cry (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

We’re desperately short of organs for transplant, so the possibility of transplanting from pigs to humans – xenotransplantation – has many people excited. Dr James Lowe (The University of Edinburgh) will explore whether this promise …

Continue reading "Will Pigs Save Our Bacon? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

How dangerous is silence in the archive? Archivist Rachel Hosker (The University of Edinburgh) returns to the Cabaret to explore the awkward and uncomfortable issue of silence in archives. Is silence a warning? What are …

Continue reading "Silence in the Archive (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

From hospice care to funeral plans, talk of death is becoming mainstream. But some questions remain taboo, like: What frightens you most about dying? What happens on the road to death? Other animals don’t have …

Continue reading "Never Say Die? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Would you lie to the government about who you are? How about to your doctor? Maybe to big companies? Whilst online shopping? How about on your Facebook profile? Do they need your real date of …

Continue reading "When Is Lying Good? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

And we can learn from them.  Across the globe, many footballers and other athletes have actively engaged with issues related to peace, racism and social inequities.  These voices not only highlight important social and political …

Continue reading "Footballers Have Feelings Too (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Time’s up; but on what, exactly? Are the Weinsteins of the world isolated bad apples, individuals who use their positions of power to take advantage of vulnerable women, or is it a much deeper problem? …

Continue reading "YesAllMen? (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

“Our genes make us who we are”; “DNA is our destiny. And our ancestry”. Neither of these statements are correct, but offer simple and seductive explanations that obscure the much more complicated reality. Jonathan Pettitt …

Continue reading "May Contain Neanderthal (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

Childhood is an injustice. Childhood infantilises, exploits, and oppresses children. Dr Philip Cook (The University of Edinburgh) argues that justice demands we abolish childhood. But how can we abolish childhood? And would abolishing childhood harm …

Continue reading "Abolish Childhood! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The margin between success and failure in elite sport can be miniscule. The investment into sporting success can be millions of pounds for a handful of medals. While some athletes and coaches look to marginal …

Continue reading "The Spy Who Doped Me (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"

The history of mental disorder is full of instances of labels of mental disorders being used to control what was deemed as unacceptable or dangerous. The science of mental health is as much determined by …

Continue reading "We’re All Mental! (Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2018)"