Speakers: Ian Morris, Michael Cox

Professor Ian Morris draws on archaeology, anthropology, biology and history to put forward a compelling new argument about the root of civilisations. Civilisations and their values, Morris argues, are driven by the most basic force of all: energy. His theory not only sheds light on the past, but also intimates the shape of things to come. Morris is an unabashed proponent of big ideas. His book originated as Princeton University’s prestigious Tanner Lectures and contains responses from a variety of scholars from the novelist Margaret Atwood, to the historian Jonathan Spence. Ian Morris is in conversation with Co-Director of LSE IDEAS, Professor Michael Cox.