Big Ideas

Rutger Bregman believes we are living in a time of moral decay, in a world governed by un-serious elites. But history shows us that we have been here before, and just like in past times, we can overcome it again.
Rutger Bregman's first BBC Reith Lecture, A Time of Monsters, was recorded with an audience in London and first aired on BBC Radio 4 on 25 November 2025.
Speakers
Rutger Bregman Historian, author, Humankind: a hopeful history, Utopia for Realists (and how we can get there), and Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference, 2025 BBC Reith Lecturer
Anita Anand (host) BBC Radio 4 journalist, co-presenter (with William Dalrymple) of Empire: World History podcast, and author, The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary and more
Further information:
Historian berates billionaires at Davos over tax avoidance - The Guardian, 30 January 2019
BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith lecture - The Guardian 28 November 2025

It makes the world go round, but it's also the root of all evil. It hasn't always had a great rap, yet most of us would like more of it. From clay tablets to coins, credit cards to crypto, for 5000 years, money has shaped our world.
This podcast episode was originally recorded on 8 October 2025 at The Wheeler Centre. Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The Wheeler Centre wherever you get your podcasts or at wheelercentre.com.
Speakers
David McWilliams Economist, author, The History of Money: A story of humanity, host, The David McWilliams Podcast, and co-founder of the world's only economics and stand-up comedy festival Kilkenomics
Jacinta Parsons (host) Co-host (with Brian Nankervis), The Friday Revue, ABC Radio Melbourne, author, A Wisdom Of Age: Lessons on living from our wise elder women and more

For decades, a debate has been waged over whether the colonial massacre and resistance of First Nations Australians should be recognised and memorialised by Australia's most important war museum. Don't miss this watershed event at the Australian War Memorial with trailblazing filmmaker Rachel Perkins and eminent historian Henry Reynolds for the launch of their groundbreaking new book The Australian Wars: The truth about the bloody battles fought to establish the nation.
This conversation hosted by the Australian War Memorial in Kamberra/Canberra on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country.
Speakers
Rachel PerkinsCo-editor, The Australian Wars: The truth about the bloody battles fought to establish the nation (with Henry Reynolds, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray; Allen and Unwin 2026)Multi-award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer and founder, Blackfella FilmsDirector and presenter, The Australian Wars, First Australians (both viewable on SBS On Demand), and Blood Brothers. Other films and TV series include Total Control, Mystery Road , Redfern Now , Jasper Jones, Mabo, Bran Nue Dae, One Night the Moon,  and Radiance.
Emeritus Professor Henry ReynoldsAdjunct Professor, University of Tasmania Co-editor, The Australian Wars: The truth about the bloody battles fought to establish the nation (with Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray; Allen and Unwin, 2026)Historian and award-winning author of over 20 books including The Other Side of the Frontier, The Law of the Land, Forgotten War, Truth-Telling, and Looking from the North Australian history from the top down (UNSW, 2025).
Further information
Australian War Memorial's Indigenous Service
Defending country campaign

For more than 50 years, Dr Bob Brown has been breaking and making laws to protect the environment. Now aged 81, he is hoping to give strength to new generations who are facing the climate and extinction crises front on.
This event was recorded at the Theatre Royal Hobart on 1 October 2025.
Speakers
Bob BrownPresident, Bob Brown FoundationFormer Greens Senator for Tasmania (1996-2012)Author, Defiance: Stories from Nature and Its Defenders
Hannah Moloney (host)Presenter, Gardening Australia, permaculture educator, community worker, designer, author, Why We Garden: On the Joy and Wonder of Growing Things, Even when We Don't Have to (out in March 2026)
Further information:
Tasmania's Forgotten Opera Star Returns: Amy Sherwin Statue Unveiling and Festival

International humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, was meant to protect civilians from the worst of war. But in today's wars civilians have become targets, and the rules meant to shield them are breaking down. What happens when the law of war no longer works? And can it be rebuilt to protect civilians once again?
Presented by the American Academy in Berlin.
Speakers
Oona HathawayGerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law, and Founder and Director of the Center for Global Legal Challenges at Yale Law School; president of the American Society of International LawAuthor of War Unbound: Gaza, Ukraine, and the Breakdown of International Law
Daniel BenjaminPresident of the American Academy in Berlin