Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse with Luke Kemp

What makes a civilization thrive and why do civilizations collapse? Is human nature inherently good and it is actually institutions that are simply oppressive? What did Thomas Hobbes get wrong in his reasoning? And what are 'Goliaths'? Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Luke Kemp, who researches the end of the world. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse’ and a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) at the University of Cambridge. He has advised and led foresight studies for multiple international organizations, including the WHO and Convention on Biological Diversity. His work has been covered by the BBC, the New York Times, and the New Yorker. Tune in the for their talk! Watch the video of the conversation: https://youtu.be/_gs1OdDOLFg Luke Kemp will be a guest during this year's edition of the Freedom Games, a festival of ideas co-organized by the European Liberal Forum on October 23-25, 2026, in Lodz, Poland. Find out more: igrzyskawolnosci.pl/event/igrzyska-wolnosci-2026 This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with the Movimento Liberal Social and the Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.