Writing and Speaking
Turi has, at one time or another, written for the Economist, the Guardian , the Telegraph, the Spectator, the Nation, Slate and the TLS. He has also appeared on most of the main English-language news channels, from the BBC, through Fox and CNN to al-Jazeera, and has lectured (on politics and media) everywhere from Oxford to Al-Quds universities. He is the author of Why We Think What We Think (Penguin 2026). Turi also hosted the On Opinion covering topics from civil discourse, to evolutionary psychology, to polarisation and more.
Why We Think What We Think
Without knowing it, almost all our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s right – are shaped by an astounding web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is wrong: we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the lines of our genetic code, to the geology of where we grew up.
On Opinion 🎙️
Where do your opinions come from? Do we ‘think’ our world views, or ‘feel’ them? And what do our beliefs mean for politics and society? Over two seasons from 2020-2022, On Opinion asked thought leaders to share their perspectives on why we think what we think and what it means for the world today, discussing everything from the war on truth to how to argue with people you hate.
The Saddam Hussein Reader
In the buildup to the 2nd Gulf War in 2003, The Saddam Hussein Reader brought together the very best writing about Iraq and its leader to help readers understand the context and stakes of ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’.