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

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Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

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An Evening with Alan Davies (Part Two)

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003.  In September 2025 he ...

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An Evening with Alan Davies (Part One)

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003.  In September 2025 he ...

16 Jan 38min

How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming our Relationships? With James Muldoon

How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming our Relationships? With James Muldoon

It is over ten years since the release of Spike Jonze’s film Her, in which a lonely man begins a relationship with a computer programme voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Since then, AI companions have sur...

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

Russian-born journalist Julia Ioffe is one of America’s most influential voices on Russia-US relations, reporting on Putin’s regime for over 15 years. Her new book, Motherland – which has been longlis...

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

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

Russian-born journalist Julia Ioffe is one of America’s most influential voices on Russia-US relations, reporting on Putin’s regime for over 15 years. Her new book, Motherland – which has been longlis...

11 Jan 38min

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

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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 ...

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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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