Munk Dialogues - Niall Ferguson

Historian and big thinker Niall Ferguson joined us on May 6 for a Munk Dialogue on history's lessons for what the world will look like after COVID19.

[davidanderson]

Y'know - old Fergie here is always banging on about "I knew about this (insert disaster - covid's seriousness, the 2008 disaster, even the fall of communism in 1989) ahead of it happening.... I'm such a prophet." But the thing is - he DID. In all cases the blighter DID know and write about these disasters ahead of time. So his arrogance is waaaay earned. Props to you Prof F. I, for one, listen to him. D.A., J.D., NYC (writer/atty)

[lucid]

Thank you for this content. And his books are so well dusted!

[martynfenton]

It's not only our relationship to death that's radically changed, it's our relationship to life! With the massive move to urban environment the vast majority can't and don't know anything about agriculture or livestock or even manual work. Never mind let's get in a car and goto a drive in macs oh and then wonder where it started to go wrong

[strnbrg]

It's remarkable how well his comments have aged, considering he made them eight months ago.

[anandk]

Thanks The monk team and Naill to give valuable content.
The idea of decentralised state and internet on centralised platform.

[CTFlink]

whoa this suddenly became so scientifically unfounded and politically charged. Totally disagree with some of the assessments he came with near the end.

[Xaxtarr_Neonraven]

What is he talking about? Decentralization? Does he mean that the 50 US states should look out for themselves? He has no facts to support this conclusion, but US stats contradict this conclusion. He sounds very biased. The bureaucracy was the only thing responding to the pandemic until it was dismantled by the Executive Branch.

[cjchen]

I still believe most people here are over reacting with regard to this not exactly life threatening to 99.9% of population influenza

[thetawaves]

Since you are a European historian, can you comment on the effects of climate change and the resulting food shortage on the French Revolution? and can something similar happen today?

[donniemoder]

Sorry, I will take the epidemiology expert over the historian any time. Also, Eisenhower would have died of Covid if it happened in the 50s. Trump was seriously ill and would not have recovered without 21st century special treatments.

[artkidolee]

Not worthy listening. Just another biased Western centrist

[shenlaoshi]

He is so wrong about the countries that controls the pandemic well enough.

[gilleschardin]

This man is a staunch supporter of conservatism. Better read Andrew Roberts than Niall Ferguson by far.

[davidanderson]

Prof F. - The bureaucracy is not BLOATED in the USA, it has been strangled and disabled by successive Republican administrations. The reason why Korea and Taiwan, Australia did so well is because they're not "small gvt" fanatics like our right wing. Government works when you fund it. D.A., J.D. NYC