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Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity

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Mar 27, 2024

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Fareed Zakaria

Fareed Zakaria, CNN host and author of "Age of Revolutions," discusses the power of ideas and classical liberalism. He reflects on mentorship with Khushwant Singh and the influences of his father’s socialist leanings. Fareed shares insights from his Yale political experiences, revealing his shift from academia to journalism. He emphasizes the challenges facing classical liberalism against a backdrop of rising populism. The conversation also touches on Singapore's governance model and the cultural landscape of India, highlighting the need for tolerance and intellectual curiosity.

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ANECDOTE

Mentorship by Khushwant Singh

Fareed Zakaria fondly remembers Khushwant Singh, his mother's boss, who nurtured his intellectual curiosity at a young age.
Singh instilled in him a love for language, poetry, and authors like George Orwell, shaping his writing style.

insights

INSIGHT

The Allure of Socialism

Fareed Zakaria explains that his father and Khushwant Singh, despite their intellectual prowess, leaned towards socialism.
This was due to the Labour Party's support for Indian independence and the belief that socialism could accelerate modernization.

insights

INSIGHT

Bengali Intelligentsia and Socialism

Fareed Zakaria believes the Bengali intelligentsia's left-wing leanings stem from their intelligence.
He argues that smart political elites often believe they can manage the economy better than the market.

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Those who know Fareed Zakaria through his weekly column or CNN show may be surprised to learn he considers books the important way he can put new ideas in the world. But Fareed's original aspiration was to be an academic, and it was a chance lunch with Walter Isaacson that convinced him to apply for a job as editor of Foreign Affairs instead of accepting an assistant professorship at Harvard. His latest book, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present is a testament to his enduring passion for ideas and his belief in the importance of classical liberalism in an age of increasing populism and authoritarianism.

Tyler sat down with Fareed to discuss what he learned from Khushwant Singh as a boy, what made his father lean towards socialism, why the Bengali intelligentsia is so left-wing, what's stuck with him from his time at an Anglican school, what's so special about visiting Amritsar, why he misses a more syncretic India, how his time at the Yale Political Union dissuaded him from politics, what he learned from Walter Isaacson and Sam Huntington, what put him off academia, how well some of his earlier writing as held up, why he's become focused on classical liberal values, whether he had reservations about becoming a TV journalist, how he's maintained a rich personal life, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded March 8th, 2024.

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Photo Credit: Jeremy P. Freeman, CNN

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