4. Fighting for Humanity in the Age of the Machine.

About this episode

Rutger Bregman's final lecture in the Reith Lectures series discusses the moral decay of today's elites and the existential risks of unchecked technology and AI.

Rutger Bregman's 2025 Reith Lectures, called "Moral Revolution", explore the moral decay and un-seriousness of today's elites, drawing historical parallels to past eras of corruption that preceded transformative movements especially the 19th Century campaign to abolish slavery. In his series, he argues that small, committed groups can spark moral revolutions, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and long-term vision. In this fourth and final lecture, he zooms out to reflect on humanity’s strange historical trajectory, warning of the existential risks posed by unchecked tech and AI. He urges privileged individuals to take on an active role in shaping a better future. The Reith Lectures are presented by Anita Anand who chairs a Q & A. The programme was recorded in front of an audience at Stanford University in Silicon Valley, USA. The researcher was James Bonney and the series is produced by Jim Frank. The Editor is Clare Fordham. The programmes are mixed by Neil Churchill.

People in this episode

Host: Anita Anand

Guest: Rutger Bregman

Topics covered

• moral revolution
• historical parallels
• existential risks
• technology
• AI
• social change

Keywords

• moral decay
• transformative movements
• slavery abolition
• perseverance
• long-term vision
• tech risks
• AI impact

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Stanford University, Silicon Valley

More episodes of The Reith Lectures

• 3. A conspiracy of decency · December 9, 2025 · 57 min
• 2. How to start a moral revolution · December 2, 2025 · 58 min
• 1. A Time of Monsters · November 25, 2025 · 58 min
• Moral Maze debate: Rutger Bregman’s call for a moral revolution · November 25, 2025 · 57 min
• Can we change violent minds? · December 17, 2024 · 58 min
• Does Trauma Cause Violence? · December 10, 2024 · 58 min