BRIGHTHINK is a Brighton-based, non-profit live events series for curious minds. We create engaging evenings that give space to ideas that challenge assumptions, spark curiosity and provoke conversation — in a shared, relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Our speakers include leading academics, journalists and authors from across the UK and beyond, covering science, culture, politics, philosophy and more.

Come along, take a seat, and be part of the conversation.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Understanding AI’s Power to Shape Our Economy, Culture & Future
Feb
10

BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Understanding AI’s Power to Shape Our Economy, Culture & Future

AI systems are increasingly shaping our everyday lives—from what we see online to how businesses operate and resources are allocated. Headlines promise breakthrough or disruption, yet the reality of AI’s impact is far more complex and deeply influential.

Our panel of AI experts will explore how it’s reshaping our economy, culture, and future, and highlight the most pressing questions it raises today.

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IN SEARCH OF NOW: The Science & Mystery of the Present Moment
Feb
17

IN SEARCH OF NOW: The Science & Mystery of the Present Moment

We feel the present is everything, yet physics finds no universal “now.”
In In Search of Now, Jo Marchant explores how our lived experience — sensations, decisions, and actions — shapes who we are.
Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and cosmology, she reveals time as a dynamic, creative process in which we all play a part.

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THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Simple Way to Understand the Most Important Ideas in Science
Feb
23

THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Simple Way to Understand the Most Important Ideas in Science

Struggling to make sense of quantum mechanics, black holes, or climate change?
Bestselling author Marcus Chown distills complex science into one key idea that unlocks understanding of the world around us.
Packed with astonishing facts, history, and stories of the scientists behind the discoveries, this talk makes tricky concepts accessible and entertaining.

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THESE STRANGE NEW MINDS: How AI Learned to Talk and What it Means
Mar
2

THESE STRANGE NEW MINDS: How AI Learned to Talk and What it Means

Can AI really think, understand, or even deceive — and whose interests does it serve?
Neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield traces AI’s evolution from its earliest ideas to today’s deep neural networks, revealing how these systems actually work.
Drawing on his acclaimed book These Strange New Minds, he asks the defining question of our age: will AI lead us to a technological utopia, or quietly replace us?

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CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE: Populism, Persuasion and the Politics of Storytelling
Mar
10

CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE: Populism, Persuasion and the Politics of Storytelling

Politics has always been driven more by stories than facts.
In today’s polarised, post-truth world, the same events can generate entirely opposing narratives, fuelling outrage and division.
Join journalist James Ball and storytelling expert John Yorke as they unpack how political narratives are built, spread, and weaponised — and why stories now matter as much as truth itself.

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OUR INCOMPLETE UNIVERSE: The Problem with Spacetime Quantum Physics & Infinity
Mar
23

OUR INCOMPLETE UNIVERSE: The Problem with Spacetime Quantum Physics & Infinity

Newton gave us a clockwork Universe; Einstein showed that space and time themselves can bend and stretch. But at the quantum level, neither picture quite works. The search for a Theory of Everything — from string theory to multiverses — exposes deep cracks in our understanding of reality, and in this discussion our panel will ask what space, time, and the Universe really are.

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CRICK: A Mind In Motion - From DNA to the Brain
Jan
26

CRICK: A Mind In Motion - From DNA to the Brain

Francis Crick is remembered for DNA, but his restless curiosity ranged far wider — from the genetic code to the nature of consciousness.
In Crick: A Mind in Motion, historian of science Matthew Cobb offers a candid, warts-and-all portrait of a brilliant, driven, and often contrarian thinker.
Cobb joins neuroscientist Anil Seth to explore Crick’s ideas, ambitions, and enduring influence on how we think about life and mind.

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DEATH IN A SHALLOW POND
Nov
4

DEATH IN A SHALLOW POND

Join David Edmonds as he traces the remarkable story of Peter Singer’s controversial thought experiment, Death in a Shallow Pond, and how it radically changed the way we think about poverty, and the establishment of the Effective Altruism movement.

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TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD: Bellingcat
Oct
14

TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD: Bellingcat

Join Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, for a fascinating look into how digital investigators are exposing war crimes, corruption, and propaganda using open-source tools.
From satellite images to social media posts, learn how Bellingcat pieces together real-world stories from data hidden in plain sight.

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LOST BOYS: A Personal Journey Through The Manosphere
Sept
9

LOST BOYS: A Personal Journey Through The Manosphere

Rarely has there seemed a more confusing time to be a man. This uncertainty has spawned an array of bizarre and harmful underground subcultures, collectively known as the ‘manosphere’.
Join James Bloodworth as he discusses his new book, Lost Boys, an essential guide to the contradictions in contemporary masculinity.

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CHEMICALLY IMBALANCED: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth
Feb
11

CHEMICALLY IMBALANCED: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth

For years, we’ve been led to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are the solution. But what if this widely accepted belief has been built on unreliable truths? Join renowned psychiatrist, Joanna Moncrieff, as she takes us on a thought-provoking journey through the history of the serotonin theory of depression.

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THE NEW NORMAL: Is Autism A Disorder?
Nov
13

THE NEW NORMAL: Is Autism A Disorder?

Join David Gray-Hammond, autistic author and neurodiversity specialist, as he explores the ideas behind the neurodiversity movement, which drove through huge changes in identification, fighting stigma and redefining autism as an identity rather than a disease.

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PREVIOUS GUESTS

Previous guests have included world-renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth, BBC correspondent Marianna Spring, author & comedian Robin Ince, and economics commentator Grace Blakeley, amongst many other names.

Anil Seth - Neuroscientist
Helen Czerski - Physicist & Oceanographer

Anil Seth

Helen Czerski

Marianna Spring

Robin Ince

Eliot Higgins - Founder of Bellingcat
Lucy Cooke - Zoologist and Presenter
Grace Blakeley - Economics & Politics commentator
Chris French - Psychologist

Grace Blakeley

Chris French

Tim Coulson - Zoologist
Camilla Nord - Neuroscientist
Cat Bohannon - Researcher and Author
David Spiegelhalter - Statistician
A smiling man with glasses, short hair, and a collared shirt.
Marianna Spring - BBC Journalist

Lucy Cooke

Eliot Higgins

Camilla Nord

Tim Coulson

David Spiegelhalter

Cat Bohannon