Festival of Ideas: Nichola Raihani

Why should we cooperate? This may be the most important scientific question we have ever, and will ever, face. After the last few years of enforced distancing and solitude, the challenges and importance of cooperation have never been greater. Written against the backdrop of this global pandemic, psychologist Nichola Raihani’s book The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World explores the science behind this phenomenon.

The science of cooperation tells us not only how we got here, but also where we might end up. Cooperation explains how strands of DNA gave rise to modern-day nation states. It defines our extraordinary ecological success as well as many of the most surprising features of what make us human: not only why we live in families, why we have grandmothers and why women experience the menopause, but also why we become paranoid and jealous, and why we cheat.

Nichola Raihani also introduces us to other species who, like us, live and work together. From the pied babblers of the Kalahari to the cleaner fish of the Great Barrier Reef, species that cooperate with one another are some of the most successful on this planet. What do we have in common with these other species, and what is it that sets us apart?

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH and the .

Tickets are free with a donation option. If you like what we do, and want to help us continue to keep our prices low and offer a wide range of free events and other activity, then please consider making a donation.

We have restricted the number of tickets that can be booked to four per transaction to limit the number of ‘no shows’ and ensure as many people as possible can attend.

There will be a returns queue on the day and any empty seats will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis a few minutes before the start of the event.

Events start punctually and, out of consideration to other audience members and speakers, our policy is not to admit latecomers. Full Terms and Conditions here.

• The Reception Room in the Wills Memorial Building has an induction loop systems.
• There is level access via double doors to the left of the main entrance and a lift to the Great Hall and Reception Room.
• There are accessible toilets for public use on the ground floor.
• Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.
• There is free disabled on-street parking available on University Road.
• More information here.

If you have specific access concerns, please do contact us with any questions.

We sometimes film and photograph Festival of Ideas events. Please let us know if you do not wish to be filmed or photographed.

Full terms and conditions, including our Privacy Policy, can be found on our website.

Host or Publisher Bristol Ideas