How To Academy Podcast Rutger Bregman Meets George Monbiot - How to Change the World
Rutger Bregman, Dutch author and historian behind Humankind and the School for Moral Ambition, explores how small committed groups change history. He discusses wasted talent in lucrative industries, how movements scale, the role of elites and grassroots action, effective giving, and tech’s role in future change. Short, provocative, and focused on how to turn ambition into lasting social impact.
01:16:43
Widespread Job Meaninglessness
- Around 25% of people in modern economies consider their job socially meaningless, far higher than unemployment rates.
- Consultants, managers and marketeers score particularly high, revealing systemic talent waste.
Ralph Nader’s Raiders Story
- Ralph Nader wrote Unsafe at Any Speed and sued General Motors after their harassment campaign failed.
- He then recruited talented graduates into "Nader's Raiders" who influenced dozens of federal laws in the 1970s.
Double Movement For Change
- Moral revolutions need a double movement: grassroots pressure plus a new elite acting from the top.
- Abolitionism succeeded because entrepreneurs and privileged actors used their resources to build mass movements.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Wasted Talent and the Bermuda Triangle
02:06 • 2min
Why Universities Push High Salaries
03:58 • 1min
Bullshit Jobs and Social Meaninglessness
05:07 • 2min
Ralph Nader: Successes and Mistakes
07:15 • 3min
Challenging Power vs. Building Solutions
10:27 • 2min
Fighting Big Tobacco and Priorities
12:22 • 2min
Double Movement: Grassroots and New Elite
13:56 • 2min
Ambition, Local Action, and Scale
15:55 • 4min
The Power of Being Asked to Act
20:12 • 3min
What Should We Ask People To Do?
23:23 • 4min
Effective Giving and Neglected Causes
27:34 • 2min
Taxing Billionaires and Systemic Change
29:51 • 3min
Why Modern Protests Fade Quickly
32:58 • 3min
Making Doing Good Contagious
36:09 • 2min
Intersectionality, Solidarity, and Fragmentation
38:30 • 3min
Dreaming Big vs. Environmental Limits
41:06 • 5min
AI, Tech Breakthroughs, and Rapid Change
46:05 • 19sec
How Future Generations Will Judge Us
46:24 • 6min
The School for Moral Ambition
52:15 • 3min
Forgiveness, Redemption, and Coalition-Building
55:30 • 3min
Alternative Proteins and Technology's Role
58:00 • 3min
Moral Diversity and Reframing Arguments
01:00:44 • 5min
Change From Within or From Without?
01:05:30 • 3min
Shame, Philanthropy and Billionaire Accountability
01:08:50 • 3min
Moral Ambition Under Repression
01:11:40 • 2min
Outro
01:13:57 • 13sec
#5461
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Twitter and tear gas
Zeynep Tufekci
Zeynep Tufekci's "Twitter and Tear Gas" examines the role of social media in facilitating and shaping protest movements.
The book analyzes how digital technologies are used to organize, coordinate, and disseminate information during protests, particularly in contexts of political repression.
Tufekci explores the complex relationship between technology, social movements, and state responses, highlighting both the empowering and limiting aspects of digital tools.
The book also delves into the strategies employed by governments to control and suppress online activism.
Ultimately, "Twitter and Tear Gas" offers a nuanced perspective on the impact of social media on contemporary political action.
#1189
• Mentioned in 30 episodes
Utopia for Realists
The Case for a Universal Basic Income, Open Borders, and a 15-hour Workweek
Rutger Bregman
In *Utopia for Realists*, Rutger Bregman argues that visionary ideas, often considered utopian, can be implemented to create a more equitable and productive society.
He advocates for a universal basic income, a shorter workweek of 15 hours, and open borders.
Bregman supports these ideas with historical examples, such as Richard Nixon's proposed basic income and the successful Mincome project in Canada, as well as current data and academic studies.
The book challenges conventional wisdom and encourages readers to dream big and strive for a better future.
#10859
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
The Altruistic Personality
Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe
Pearl M. Oliner
Samuel P. Oliner
This book delves into the profound acts of altruism during the Holocaust by examining the lives of over 700 European rescuers and non-rescuers.
It provides insights into what drives people to act with extraordinary compassion and offers a roadmap for fostering altruism to prevent future atrocities.
The authors aim to understand and promote the traits of altruism through their research.
#159
• Mentioned in 124 episodes
The Righteous Mind
Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Jonathan Haidt
In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason.
He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression.
Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six.
The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts.
Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.
#2354
• Mentioned in 18 episodes
Unsafe at Any Speed
The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile
Ralph Nader
Published in 1965, 'Unsafe at Any Speed' by Ralph Nader exposed the potential dangers of American cars and the automotive industry's resistance to improving safety.
The book focused on various design flaws, such as the Chevrolet Corvair's steering system, and criticized the industry for prioritizing style and cost over consumer safety.
It led to the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966 and the establishment of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The book's impact extended beyond legislation, influencing public perception of vehicle safety and driving consumer advocacy efforts.
#512
• Mentioned in 55 episodes
Humankind
A Hopeful History
Rutger Bregman
Humankind: A Hopeful History challenges the idea that humans are inherently selfish by presenting evidence of our altruistic behavior throughout history.
The book takes a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing from history, economics, psychology, biology, anthropology, and archaeology to argue that humans are more peaceful and friendly than commonly believed.
Bregman sides with Jean-Jacques Rousseau's view of human nature in the state of nature debate, opposing Thomas Hobbes' more pessimistic outlook.
He also discusses the concept of 'domestication syndrome' and how humans may have self-domesticated, leading to a more cooperative and empathetic species.
#802
• Mentioned in 40 episodes
Moral Ambition
Rutger Bregman
Rutger Bregman's 'Moral Ambition' delves into the complexities of ambition and its potential for positive societal impact.
The book challenges conventional notions of success and encourages readers to consider how their ambitions can contribute to a better world.
Bregman argues that individuals can leverage their drive and determination to create meaningful change, focusing on ethical considerations and collective well-being.
He explores various examples of individuals who have successfully channeled their ambition for the greater good, offering practical insights and inspiring narratives.
The book ultimately promotes a vision of ambition that is both personally fulfilling and socially responsible.
Global sensation Rutger Bregman joins George Monbiot to show how small groups of committed individuals changed the course of history – and how you can, too.
The average full-time worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job: are you making the most of them? Do you truly believe in what you do, day in day out?Every day we’re bombarded with methods, mantras, life hacks and coaching sessions that promise us mindfulness, prosperity and wellness. We read countless self-help books to unlock the seven habits, twelve rules or one big secret to living a long and happy life, while time and talent remain some of our most squandered resources. Internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman returns to How To Academy to show us that with the will to make the world a wildly better place – it is possible to be both idealistic and successful, and to change the world along the way. Looking to the great change-makers of history, he will uncover the qualities that made them so persuasive, influential and effective, and show how we, too, can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to gross inequality to the next pandemic. We can do more than be on the right side of history: we can make history itself. This is not a self-help talk. It won’t make your life easier – but it should make it more meaningful. The question is: what will you do with it?
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