Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast Rutger Bregman wants you to stop wasting your talents and show some 'moral ambition'
Oct 6, 2025
Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian and author of 'Moral Ambition', challenges the privileged to shift from lucrative careers to tackling global issues like climate change and disease prevention. He argues that awareness isn't enough; action is crucial. Rutger critiques the allure of traditional paths like finance, advocating for 'moral ambition' in careers. He emphasizes strategic thinking in activism, highlights past figures like Thomas Clarkson and Ralph Nader, and offers practical steps for professionals to pursue high-impact work that measures real-world results.
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Awareness Isn’t Enough
- Awareness about global problems is common but often stalls at inaction.
- Rutger Bregman argues the key question is how to bridge awareness to concrete action.
Make Your Career A Moral Choice
- Treat your career as the most important moral decision of your life.
- Use your 2,000 work weeks to avoid wasting talent on low-impact jobs and aim for meaningful work.
A Quarter Doubt Their Job’s Value
- Roughly 25% of workers in rich countries doubt their job's social value.
- Bregman calls this the greatest waste: human talent stuck in low-impact roles.
