Michael IgnatieffEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Historian and Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff explores the cracks in our seamless worldviews… or at least the worldviews we thought were seamless until we’re faced with tragedies of all kinds. In this wide-ranging exploration, Kate and Michael probe humanity's enduring attempt to console ourselves and construct meaning from our pain. In this conversation, Kate and Michael discuss: Why truth and trust are so important when it comes to finding meaning in our pain The difference between comfort and consolation The limits of stoicism and hyper-futurism What it means to be hopeful The importance of community through pain and suffering Michael does not denigrate anyone’s attempt for comfort, but asks us to look carefully at the consolation that lasts. He asks: What is consolation? And why do we all crave that practice of meaning-making? This episode originally aired March 2023.

In this episode, Michael Ignatieff and I discuss liberalism. We talk about what it is to be a liberal, the kinds of institutions that are central to liberalism, what it’s like to do politics as someone with a liberal disposition, what liberals should do when they find themselves in illiberal places, and more. In short, we do some philosophy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit endsdontjustifythemeans.com

For this episode of the Global Exchange podcast, Colin Robertson talks with Michael Ignatieff about the successes and failures about the Responsibility to Protect, and Canada's role in the world in light of this. // Participants' bios - Michael Ignatieff is Rector Emeritus and Professor of History at Central European University. A scholar and author of many books, Michael has taught at the University of British Columbia, Cambridge University, the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics and Harvard University, where he was Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. He was also Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Michael is a member of the Order of Canada. // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson // Read & Watch: - "How Democracies Die", by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-ziblatt/ // Recording Date: April 30, 2024.

About Professor Ignatieff: https://people.ceu.edu/michael_ignatieff Check out Professor Ignatieff’s new book, On Consolation: https://www.amazon.com/Consolation-Finding-Solace-Dark-Times-ebook/dp/B0953QHC8F/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=michael+ignatieff+on+consolation&qid=1676374785&sprefix=michael+igna%2Caps%2C278&sr=8-1 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit musicallyspeaking.substack.com

When he ran for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff laid out a bold plan to place the promotion of democracy at the heart of Canadian foreign policy. 17 years later, Ignatieff outlines how his time in politics and his wariness of the many failed attempts at democratization that ended in flames. He now proposes instead that Canada and other democracies "tend our own gardens." What changed? ​ In today's Open Canada podcast episode, hear his recent keynote address to a conference by the Canadian International Council, the Jarislowsky Chair at Toronto Metropolitan University and McGill University, How Can We Reverse Democratic Backsliding?

When we lose someone we love, when we suffer loss or defeat, when catastrophe strikes—war, famine, pandemic—we go in search of consolation. Once the province of priests and philosophers, the language of consolation has largely vanished from our modern vocabulary, and the places where it was offered, houses of religion, are often empty. Rejecting the solace of ancient religious texts, humanity since the sixteenth century has increasingly placed its faith in science, ideology, and the therapeutic. How do we console each other and ourselves in an age of unbelief? In a series of lapidary meditations on writers, artists, musicians, and their works—from the books of Job and Psalms to Albert Camus, Anna Akhmatova, and Primo Levi—esteemed writer and historian Michael Ignatieff shows how men and women in extremity have looked to each other across time to recover hope and resilience. Recreating the moments when great figures found the courage to confront their fate and the determination to continue unafraid, On Consolation takes those stories into the present, movingly contending that we can revive these traditions of consolation to meet the anguish and uncertainties of our precarious twenty-first century. Michael Ignatieff , Rector Emeritus and currently Professor of History at the Central European University in Vienna, is the author of several acclaimed books, among them The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World (2017), Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics (2013), The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror (2004), Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (2001), The Rights Revolution (2000), Isaiah Berlin (1998), Scar Tissue (1992. He writes regularly for the New York Times, the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books. His most recent book On Consolation. Finding Solace in Dark Times was published by Metropolitan Books, New York, in autumn 2021 (ISBN 9780805055214; available also as e-book) and a German translation – Über den Trost in dunklen Zeiten – by Ullstein Verlag (ISBN: 9783550201981) Philipp Blom is Historian, Author, Journalist and Translator Recorded at Kreisky Forum, May 18, 2022

A powerful talk with Michael Ignatieff on consolation, owning up to failure, and the power of moving forward in the face of challenges on this edition of No Nonsense.

Join me and Michael Ignatieff as we discuss his new book, On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times. On Consolation offers a two thousand year look at how humankind struggled with and endeavored to find consolation in its darkest hours. In a series of essays from the books of Job and Psalms through Dante and Albert Camus concluding with Dr. Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement, Professor Ignatieff elaborates on how men and women in extremity sought to recover hope and resilience. Professor Ignatieff, the author of nearly 20 books including a Booker award finalist, is the former head of Canada’s Liberal Party, Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, and President of Central European University in Vienna, Austria where currently he is a professor. Guest Michael Ignatieff Michael Ignatieff is the author of Isaiah Berlin and The Warrior’s Honor , as well as over fifteen other acclaimed books, including a memoir, The Russian Album, and the Booker finalist novel Scar Tissue . He writes regularly for the New York Times , the New York Review of Books , and the London Review of Books . Former head of Canada’s Liberal Party, director of the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and president of Central European University, he is currently a professor at CEU in Vienna. On Consolation When we lose someone we love, when we suffer loss or defeat, when catastrophe strikes—war, famine, pandemic—we go in search of consolation. Once the province of priests and philosophers, the language of consolation has largely vanished from our modern vocabulary, and the places where it was offered, houses of religion, are often empty. Rejecting the solace of ancient religious texts, humanity since the sixteenth century has increasingly placed its faith in science, ideology, and the therapeutic. How do we console each other and ourselves in an age of unbelief? In a series of portraits of writers, artists and musicians searching for consolation—from the books of Job and Psalms to Albert Camus, Anna Akhmatova, and Primo Levi—writer and historian Michael Ignatieff shows how men and women in extremity have looked to each other across time to recover hope and resilience. Recreating the moments when great figures found the courage to confront their fate and the determination to continue unafraid, On Consolation takes those stories into the present, contending that we can revive these traditions of consolation to meet the anguish and uncertainties of the twenty-first century. Host Michael Zeldin Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator. He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Muller’s investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings. In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught a study group on Independent Investigations of Presidents. Previously, Michael was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as Deputy Independent/ Independent Counsel, investigating allegations of tampering with presidential candidate Bill Clinton’s passport files, and as Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, October Surprise Task Force, investigating the handling of the American hostage situation in Iran. Michael is a prolific write

In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Marcus Kolga was joined by historian, political scientist, former Liberal Party of Canada leader, and the President and Rector of Central European University, Michael Ignatieff. The two discuss the seemingly growing conflict between liberalism and rising populism, particularly in Eastern Europe. Throughout their wide-ranging discussion, Ignatieff shares his insights on the challenges posed by populist forces, the role of Russian disinformation, the tensions between climate action and resource development, the burgeoning "Wexit" movement, and many more salient and important topics. Ultimately, Ignatieff argues that while there are worrying elements within populism, it is a democratic response to real problems, and he remains an optimist that the institutions of Western liberalism will continue to hold in the face of mounting challenges.

Today's episode is a cross over promotion with the new podcast: How to Fix Democracy. How to Fix Democracy is an interview series in which prominent thinkers, writers, politicians, technologists, and business leaders discuss some fundamental questions about the fate and trajectory of democracy today. This episode features an interview with Michael Ignatieff by the host of the show, Andrew Keen. Michael Ignatieff is a former Canadian politician and author of several books about world affairs. He is now serving as the president and rector of the Central European University. This is a Hungary-based graduate school founded by George Soros that the illiberal government of Hungary, lead by Victor Orban, has sought to shut down. In this episode, Ignatieff discusses the challenge to democracy posed by illiberal "democrats" like Viktor Orban. After listening to this episode, be sure to subscribe to the entire series, which features some really interesting guests and discussion. The series is presented by the Bertelsmann Foundation, in partnership with Humanity in Action. I am a Humanity in Action senior fellow and am glad to present this crossover episode to you.

Central European University's President Michael Ignatieff is a human rights scholar, an educator, a former politician, and, as he tells us, the son of a refugee. He discusses what he calls "the ordinary virtues," such as patience and tolerance; the status of human rights today and the dilemmas of migration; the essential critera for true democracy; and the ideal curriculum. His advice to students: Learn to think for yourself.

Central European University's President Michael Ignatieff is a human rights scholar, an educator, a former politician, and, as he tells us, the son of a refugee. He discusses what he calls "the ordinary virtues," such as patience and tolerance; the status of human rights today and the dilemmas of migration; the essential critera for true democracy; and the ideal curriculum. His advice to students: Learn to think for yourself.

Andrew Keen interviews Michael Ignatieff, the rector and president of the Central European University in Budapest, an institution that has come under attack by Viktor Orban's government in Hungary.

ECFR’s director Mark Leonard is meeting with Michael Ignatieff, the former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and one of the most thoughtful historians of liberalism. Together they are looking at the future of the liberal order following Trump's election and the rise of several illiberal powers elsewhere in the world. The podcast was recorded in Vienna on 7 February 2017.Want to find out more about this topic? Reach for Michael Ignatieff's publications here: http://michaelignatieff.ca/writing/index.php Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.