Civil and Uncivil Societies
Niall Ferguson examines the role of institutions in creating a vibrant and independent civil society - and identifies the continuing risk of threats to their autonomy.
The historian Niall Ferguson examines institutions outside the political, economic and legal realms, whose primary purpose is to preserve and transmit particular knowledge and values. In a lecture delivered at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he asks if the modern state is quietly killing civil society in the Western world? And what can non-Western societies do to build a vibrant civil society?
Producer: Jane Beresford.
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Transcript: Civil and Uncivil Societies
Read theΒ transcript of Niall Ferguson's final 2012 Reith Lecture, Civil and Uncivil Societies, in which he asks what constitutes a vibrant and independent civil society.
Comment on this lecture
Read comments and share your views on Niall Ferguson’s final Reith Lecture on the Radio 4 blog.
Further listening and reading
Explore some of the references and topics from Niall Ferguson's fourth Reith Lecture, Civil and Uncivil Societies.
Broadcasts
- Tue 10 Jul 2012 09:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Sat 14 Jul 2012 22:05Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
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Archive 1976-2012—The Reith Lectures
Annual radio lectures on significant issues, delivered by leading figures.
New to the Reith Lectures? Here’s where to start
Four lectures recommended by the series producer.
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The Reith Lectures
Significant international thinkers deliver the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's flagship annual lecture series
