RUTGER BREGMAN
- Words Hettie O'Brien
- Photos Maartje ter Horst
On moral ambition.
( 1 ) The Federalist Society was founded in 1982 by law students at Harvard, Yale and the University of Chicago to promote a literal interpretation of the US Constitution—one that emphasizes limited central government and individual freedoms. Five of the nine current US Supreme Court justices are, or have been, affiliated with the organization.
( 2 ) Delayed by war, economic crises, politics—and the sheer ambition of its architect, Antoni Gaudí—the Sagrada Família in Barcelona has been under construction for more than 140 years. When asked about the church’s glacial pace, Gaudí is said to have replied, “My client is not in a hurry.” The basilica is now on track to open in 2026, marking the centenary of his death.
A banal but terrifying fact of human existence is that we will never get our time back. Despite this, many of the world’s most intelligent and well-educated people waste their lives in soul-sapping jobs that are pointless or even harmful. For the Dutch historian and writer Rutger Bregman, they represent a huge opportunity.
( 1 ) The Federalist Society was founded in 1982 by law students at Harvard, Yale and the University of Chicago to promote a literal interpretation of the US Constitution—one that emphasizes limited central government and individual freedoms. Five of the nine current US Supreme Court justices are, or have been, affiliated with the organization.
( 2 ) Delayed by war, economic crises, politics—and the sheer ambition of its architect, Antoni Gaudí—the Sagrada Família in Barcelona has been under construction for more than 140 years. When asked about the church’s glacial pace, Gaudí is said to have replied, “My client is not in a hurry.” The basilica is now on track to open in 2026, marking the centenary of his death.
