Can Ancient Wisdom Save Our Future?

Is modern society failing us? Can ancient wisdom save our future?

As global instability intensifies, influential voices are questioning whether the modern systems we rely on—built on liberalism, secularism, and globalization—are driving us toward chaos. Has the liberal world order, once seen as a triumph of progress, become the root of today’s political dysfunction and moral unrest?

This critical debate explores whether crises of governance and meaning in our modern era call for a return to traditional values or the creation of bold new frameworks. The stakes have never been higher as we confront the question: Is it time to rethink the foundations of global governance?

💬 Join the conversation in the comments.

In this episode:
Wael Hallaq: Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University
Bruno Maçães: member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Secretary of State for European Affairs in Portugal
Sophie Scott-Brown: philosopher and historian of political thought at the Institute of Intellectual History (University of St. Andrews)

⏰⏰ Chapters ⏰⏰
00:00 Intro
04:50 Evolution of Power
10:59 Reconsidering Humanity
17:00 Idea of Tradition
23:40 Tradition vs Modernity
31:47 Two Examples
36:21 Age of the Political
44:50 Student Discussion
1:09:13 Discussions Merge
1:13:56 Understanding Liberalism
1:23:08 Apples and Oranges
1:32:00 Perspectives