An extract from Dr Musharraf Hussain reflections on Dutch historian Rutger Bregman’s four-part series of lectures on the theme of ‘How to start a moral revolution’:
| “[. . .] Bregman argued that humanity is once again at a hinge of history. Like the post-Second World War era, our age is defined by revolutionary technology that threatens human survival. Artificial intelligence, unlike previous tools, may rival or surpass human intelligence. Bregman, like most philosophers and historians, believes humans are naturally kind. Our survival depends on empathy and cooperation with others. So, he advocates ‘the survival of the friendliest’ not the Darwinian notion, ‘survival of the fittest.’ He said, ‘Today, humanity has become like apes with godlike powers.’ Bregman’s warning closely mirrors the Quranic concept of khilafah, where humans are trustees on earth, not owners. Power, technological, political, or economic, is a trust (amanah), not an entitlement. He laments how social media has damaged social life, literacy and numeracy are declining, loneliness and mental illness are rising, and rewards outrage and extremism. Instead of ‘survival of the friendliest’ digital platforms promote what he calls ‘the survival of the shameless’. Artificial intelligence threatens to amplify these harms on an unparalleled scale. He rightly criticises the nationalist patriots who elevate tribes or race above shared humanity, insisting that true patriotism has always meant compassion towards others. Bregman’s critiques of nationalism, tribalism, and the worship of technology, in Quranic terms, are shirk. When a person elevates created things like power, tribe, wealth, and machines to an ultimate status, and worships them. This is when economic markets and nation-states become idols when they dictate values rather than serve them. Tawhid restores moral hierarchy: nothing is absolute except Allah; everything else is subordinate to His will. Tawhid is not only a theological unity it is moral clarity. He concludes by returning to the central theme of the lecture series: Moral revolutions are driven by small groups of committed people who organise for the long term. The future offers no guarantees, but meaning lies in the struggle itself. |
Dr Musharraf Hussain, Friday Lectures click here.
For the Rutger Bregman Reith Lectures, ‘Moral Revolution’ click here.