David Runciman, Professor of Politics at Cambridge University, discusses his latest book 'The Handover' with Adam McCauley, exploring the influence of artificial agents on human decision-making power and the historical relationship between states and corporations. They also discuss the role of AI in corporations, states, and individuals, and reflect on the future of democracy and technology.

John Gray, influential political thinker, and David Runciman, political scientist, discuss Gray's book on post-liberalism. They explore history's cyclical nature, ethics in an absurd world, and the meaning of life. Topics include the evolution of liberalism, religion's influence, stages of liberalism, and the unraveling of social order.

For the second part of our conversation between cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker and academic and podcaster David Runciman, who teaches politics and history at Cambridge University, we rejoin the discussion with the two looking at the roots of skepticism. This interview first appeared on Intelligence Squared in early 2019 at the time of the publication of Pinker's book, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cambridge Professor David Runciman, from Past Present Future podcast, explores political ideas from Rousseau to Rawls in his new book. He discusses the impact of big personalities on current politics and the importance of reimagining political imagination. The episode also touches on utilitarianism, therapy benefits, and the need to tolerate diverse vices in society.

Journalist Anne Applebaum and Professor David Runciman discuss the allure of dictators in modern democracies, the challenges faced by youth in democratic systems, and the role of technology in shaping democracy. They reflect on history, discuss the essence of democracy, and explore unconventional methods to challenge the status quo in democratic processes.