1. A Time of Monsters

The Reith Lectures

BBC

Society & Culture, Science, Government, Technology

4.2 • 770 Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rutger Bregman's 2025 Reith Lectures, called "Moral Revolution", explore the moral decay and un-seriousness of today's elites, drawing historical parallels to past eras of corruption that preceded transformative movements especially the 19th Century campaign to abolish slavery. In his series, he argues that small, committed groups can spark moral revolutions, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and long-term vision.

Bregman advocates for a new "realist utopia" in the face of rapid technological change, promoting ideas like Universal Basic Income, fairer taxation and responsible tech regulation. Finally, he zooms out to reflect on humanity’s strange historical trajectory, warning of the existential risks posed by unchecked AI and urging privileged individuals to take on an active role in shaping a better future.

The Reith Lectures are presented by Anita Anand who chairs a Q & A. The programme was recorded in front of an audience in London. The series is produced by Jim Frank. The Editor is Clare Fordham. The programmes are mixed by Neil Churchill.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:07.0	Hello, I'm Emma Barnett. For most of my career, I've been on live radio, and I love it.
0:13.3	But I've always wondered, what if we'd had more time? How much deeper does the story go?
0:19.2	I remember having this very sharp thought that what you do right now, this is it.
0:24.3	This defines your life.
0:26.0	I'm ready to talk and ready to listen.
0:28.4	I'm insulted by how little the medical community is ever bothered with this.
0:33.9	Ready to talk with me, Emma Barnard, is my new podcast.
0:37.0	Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello, I'm
0:39.4	Rutger Brackman, and in my first BBC Radio for a Reith lecture, I'll be considering the decadence
0:45.3	and the corruption of today's elites. Welcome to the radio theatre here at Broadcasting House in
0:52.7	Central London for this year's Reith Lectures.
0:56.0	This year's lecturer is a Dutch historian and the author of best-selling books like
1:01.5	humankind and Utopia for Realists. Now that first one was written when he was just 25
1:07.8	years of age. His books have struck a with many because they offer hope at a time
1:15.4	when it feels like we're facing depressingly crushing problems. But to get to the hope that he talks
1:22.4	about, our lecturer is asking for something in return. He believes we need to transform the way we live our lives.
1:30.5	He is not a man to shy away from controversy either,
1:34.0	probably best known for calling out a group of bankers and billionaires
1:37.9	at the World Economic Forum at Davos,
1:40.8	where he castigated them for refusing to address what he called the real issue of tax avoidance
1:47.2	by the rich. It was, he said, like being at a firefighter's conference and not being allowed to talk about
	...

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