IAI TV Institute of Arts & Ideas

the meaning of sex. htlgi kenwood house 2024

We increasingly see sex as a strictly physical act. Freed from traditional social norms, and combined with a new frontier of emancipation for women, casual sex is the new normal. But is the nature and meaning of sex less apparent than we imagine? Surveys show that 70% experience regret after causal sex. Troubling if we consider that higher levels of sexual satisfaction are associated with lover levels of anxiety and depression, in teens and adults alike. Moreover, sex from an evolutionary point of view is about having children, and our choice of partner for that purpose is hardly a casual event. Are love and commitment, once a social requirement for sex, unavoidably linked to the act of sex itself?

Should we admit that sex is always more than the physical? Should we spend less time on the mechanics of 'good' sex and give more time to its psychological, social and, for some, spiritual meaning? Or is it a step back to the hierarchies and traditions of the past, and should we instead celebrate our newfound freedom and be thankful for its pleasures?

Author of This is Your Brain on Birth Control Sarah Hill, sociologist and trans campaigner Finn Mackay, and former senior research fellow at The Future of Humanity Institute Anders Sandberg debate the meaning of sex.

Event in association with the New Humanist.

beyond men and women

From Facebook's customisable gender option to popstars in drag, the traditional categories of male and female are now being challenged in the mainstream. But what would a world beyond gender really look like? Would it eradicate inequality or instead embed stereotypes? Should we keep gender and fight prejudice, or would a world beyond gender be both fair and free? Finn Mackay: Finn Mackay is founder of London's Feminist Network and is a Sociology Lecturer as well as activist. Angela Eagle: Angela Eagle is former Shadow Secretary of State for Business , Innovation and Skills and has been a member of parliament since 1992. Author of The New Serfdom, Eagle has written on today's struggle for social justice. Patricia MacCormack: Patricia MacCormack is Professor of Continental Philosophy in English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. Watch debate from Hay on Wye here

philosophy in the bedroom

Listen to podcast. Many believe that porn's dark fantasies risk corrupting relationships and society. Has this arisen because pornography is largely created by men? Could feminist pornography featuring authentic sex, diverse bodies and female perspectives offer a truly liberating alternative? Or is porn fundamentally incompatible with intimacy and a problem for all of us until its abolished? Feminist thinker Finn Mackay, author of Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl Brooke Magnanti, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Erotic Review editor Rowan Pelling imagine the future of pornography. In association with the New College of the Humanities.

what does it mean to be human

Competition versus cooperation. Can we survive and succeed without competition? The word “humane” conjures the best we can be: kind, empathetic, considerate. Yet as a species we are uniquely competitive and warlike. Is this who we really are, and the source of our success? Should we encourage competition in our culture? Or seek to eradicate it as the likely cause of our own demise?  Author of Booker Prize Shortlisted The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee, senior policy advisor to Tony Blair Julian Le Grand, London Feminist Network founder Finn Mackay investigate the heart of humanity. See full debate here.

myths about feminism

Why real feminism isn’t about women ruling the world. London Feminist Network founder Finn Mackay reveals why real feminism isn’t about women ruling the world. “A world changing woman” Guardian. Visit IAI TV here

in search of safety - is the world as dangerous as it seems

Visions of a violent and lawless future are a commonplace, yet strangely crime has fallen 66% in the UK in the last two decades and we are less likely to fall victim to an act of violence than we have ever been. Do we want to imagine the world is dangerous because our lives have become too safe? Or is the world scarier than the figures suggest? The Panel: Former Anglican Priest Chris Bryant, feminist Finn Mackay and outspoken libertarian and editor of Spiked Online Brendan O'Neill examine risk. Watch from Hay on Wye.

Return to radical - has feminism lost its way

Has contemporary feminism lost its way? London Feminist Network founder Finn Mackay brings 70s radicalism into the 21st century. Watch solo talk here.

BBC2 The Big Questions

is feminism in crisis?

Live from the University of Brighton, February 3rd 2019. Watch the full programme here.

TEDx Covent Garden London

In this thought provoking talk, Finn Mackay debunks myths and misunderstandings about feminism. In particular, Finn challenges our understanding of feminism as being about equality. She demonstrates instead how it is a revolutionary movement that seeks to dismantle structural inequalities. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Watch here

BBC Sounds ‘Different’ with Nicky Campbell

Finn Mackay has been called “the author hoping to end the gender wars”. Nicky finds out how and why the trans conversation has become so heated.

British Sociological Association

BSA Annual Conference, Manchester, April 2023. Awake and On The March: A Public Defence of Sociology. Watch the plenary address here

BBC World Service

The Conversation. Marching with fellow women for a cause - Krupa Padhy meets two women who have tackled violence against women head-on, by organising eye-catching and sometimes controversial street protests. Finn Mackay is one of the UK's most influential feminist activists. She founded the London Feminist Network in 2004, the same year that she revived the Reclaim the Night marches, after seeing shocking statistics on violence against women. The marches are women-only, something Finn believes is important, but she says men are welcome to make the tea and take a back-room role. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Angie Ng is a Chinese-Canadian feminist activist who founded SlutWalk Hong Kong to protest against sexual violence and victim blaming. She recognises that many view the term 'slut' as degrading, but she wants to problematise the word, rather than reclaim it. Angie says that in Hong Kong there was a pervasive view that sexual violence and street harassment was largely a western, 'foreign' problem, but she wanted to show that it happened in their culture too. Angie is currently writing a book based on her research into women and the sex trade.

Listen to the full programme here

BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour

Radical Feminism - do we need it? Finn Mackay in discussion.

BBC Radio 4 Start the Week

Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda. Anne McElvoy asks what feminism means now with Natasha Walter, Catherine Hakim, Shereen El Feki and Finn Mackay.

BBC Radio 4 The Moral Maze

Is there such a thing as a victimless crime? This issue is at the heart of two campaigns that have been attracting a lot of coverage recently. At the moment the sale and purchase of sex is legal in Britain, but there's a growing demand to criminalise those who pay for sexual services. Since 1960 laws criminalising homosexuality, suicide and blasphemy have all been consigned to history. Is that the way it should be In a liberal progressive society? Or should we and the state take a much more robust view of harm and listen more to the voices of victims, extending principles like "hate crimes" in the law? Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Claire Fox, Michael Portillo, Giles Fraser, Anne McElvoy. Witnesses are Ian Driver, Sean Gabb, Kathy Gyngell and Finn Mackay.

The Sociology Show

I was pleased to be interviewed by Matthew Wilkin for The Sociology Show podcast, talking about my book on Radical Feminism and bra-busting some of the many myths that are told about this movement. You can listen to the show and all the other episodes for Sociological musings here

The Guardian Today in Focus

Understanding the Fight Over Trans Rights. Joining Anushka Asthana to discuss the issue are the feminist author Finn Mackay, who believes that while feminist divisions over trans rights are not new, they need not be inevitable. Listen here