Where Shall We Meet On Moral Ambition with Rutger Bregman
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Sep 17, 2025 
Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian and bestselling author known for 'Humankind,' dives into the concept of moral ambition. He advocates for blending utopian visions with practical tactics to drive real change. The conversation explores individual versus societal responsibilities, emphasizing that mere decency isn’t enough. Rutger shares insights on the value of tough love in recruitment and how to create winning coalitions for activism. He also discusses accessible pathways for anyone to engage morally ambitious work, like Moral Ambition Circles and free curricula.
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From Utopian Dreams To Practical Ambition
- Moral ambition blends utopian idealism with entrepreneurial drive to actually get results.
- Rutger reframes activism as coalition-building and execution, not just dreaming big.
Good People Can Still Do Harm
- Positive views of human nature enable bold policy ideas like basic income to work in practice.
- But decent people can still commit horrific acts when others lie outside their moral circle.
Kickstart Motivation With Tough Love
- Use a mix of encouragement and tough honesty to motivate action; Rutger recommends some 'tough love'.
- Aim for roughly 20% shame/guilt and 80% enthusiasm when mobilizing people.
