John Gray and David Runciman on Finding Meaning in a Post-Liberal World

John Gray and David Runciman on Finding Meaning in a Post-Liberal World

John Gray is one of the UK’s most important and influential political thinkers. Sceptical of ideas about progress and the perfectibility of human nature, he is an arch critic of liberalism, believing that history moves in cycles rather than inexorably towards a better future. For this episode of Intelligence Squared he is joined by David Runciman, a political scientist known for his clear analysis of modern political complexities. Together they explore the themes of Gray’s new book The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism, which looks at the world of the 2020s through the prism of the great 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, famous for saying that without government, life would be ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Traversing 20th-century Russia, India and China, and referencing thinkers from Nietzsche and Hegel to Pinker and Fukuyama, Gray shares his realist vision for what the future may hold and explains how, in a world of absurdity, meaning can be found not in grandiose ideas but in more modest ethics. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(1535)

Julia Ioffe and Clarissa Ward on Putin, Russia and the Women Fighting For A Better Future (Part Two)

Julia Ioffe and Clarissa Ward on Putin, Russia and the Women Fighting For A Better Future (Part Two)

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Julia Ioffe and Clarissa Ward on Putin, Russia and the Women Fighting For A Better Future (Part One)

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Jonathan Freedland on The Secret Rebels who Defied Hitler (Part Two)

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9 Jan 33min

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Jonathan Freedland on The Secret Rebels who Defied Hitler (Part One)

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist, broadcaster, and author of the widely acclaimed book The Escape Artist which tells the remarkable story of Rudolf Vrba and fellow inmate Alfred Wetzler who ...

7 Jan 36min

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In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings...

5 Jan 35min

The Remarkable True Story of The Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970’s, with Jason Burke (Part One)

The Remarkable True Story of The Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970’s, with Jason Burke (Part One)

In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings...

4 Jan 40min

How Tech Platforms Threaten Our Future, With Former White House Advisor Tim Wu (Part Two)

How Tech Platforms Threaten Our Future, With Former White House Advisor Tim Wu (Part Two)

Tim Wu, is one of America’s leading thinkers on technology, power, and the history of monopoly powers. A Columbia Law School professor and former special assistant to President Joe Biden for technolog...

2 Jan 44min

How Tech Platforms Threaten Our Future, With Former White House Advisor Tim Wu (Part One)

How Tech Platforms Threaten Our Future, With Former White House Advisor Tim Wu (Part One)

Tim Wu, is one of America’s leading thinkers on technology, power, and the history of monopoly powers. A Columbia Law School professor and former special assistant to President Joe Biden for technolog...

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