Moral Ambition: Redefining Success and Making a Positive Impact

The Need for Moral Ambition

Rutger Bregman, Dutch philosopher and author, has launched an ambitious new project called the School for Moral Ambition. In a recent interview, Bregman explained that he became "fed up with merely providing commentary on the state of the world" and wanted to take more direct action to create positive change. This led him to co-found an organization aimed at redirecting talent towards solving important global problems.

Bregman argues that we are living in an era where just doing the minimum in terms of charity or volunteer work is no longer enough. He is calling for a "moral maximum" - inspiring people to dedicate their talents and ambitions to tackling major challenges facing humanity.

The School for Moral Ambition

The School for Moral Ambition, launched by Bregman, aims to be the "Robin Hoods of talent" - taking skilled people away from big corporations and redirecting them to important cause areas. Some key aspects of the school include:

• Fellowship programs lasting 7 months, paying participants around an average American wage to quit their jobs and work on priority issues
• Focus areas including tax fairness, food systems/climate change, and founding companies to generate funds for effective charities
• A goal of running at least 3 fellowship cohorts in 2025, with around 30 total fellows
• Offices in Amsterdam and New York, with plans to expand globally

Bregman emphasizes that they are looking for the "best of the best" - highly talented, ambitious people willing to redirect their skills towards moral causes. The school provides training and aims to build tight-knit cohorts inspired to create major change.

Redefining Success and Status

A core part of Bregman's philosophy is the need to change cultural definitions of success and status. He cites survey data showing a major shift over recent decades:

• In the 1960s, 90% of students said developing a meaningful life philosophy was their most important goal. Today it's only 50%.
• Back then, only 50% said becoming financially well-off was their main goal. Today it's 80-90%.

Bregman argues this reflects a cultural shift, not human nature. He believes we need another cultural wave to redefine success - moving beyond just financial metrics to valuing positive impact and building a meaningful legacy.

He points to historical examples like the shift from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era, where influential figures like Theodore Roosevelt changed their mindsets about what constituted a successful, admirable life.

The Power of Ambition

Bregman has found that being more ambitious is often easier than being less ambitious. Big, inspiring goals tend to attract supporters and talent. He also notes how contagious ambition can be - encouraging others to dream bigger can have major ripple effects.

The School for Moral Ambition aims to harness these insights, creating a "machine" to increase people's level of ambition and redirect it towards important causes. Bregman wants to inspire people to go beyond just donating a bit to charity or doing some volunteer work, and instead dedicate their careers and talents to solving major global challenges.

Challenges and Opportunities

Bregman acknowledges that the current incentive structures and cultural norms make it challenging for many people to pursue more altruistic paths. Economic pressures and winner-take-all dynamics push many towards safer, more lucrative career tracks.

However, he sees major opportunities to change this:

• There is an enormous waste of talent currently, with large percentages of top graduates going into fields like finance and consulting rather than tackling pressing issues.
• Cultural shifts have happened before and can happen again to redefine notions of success and admirable lives.
• Technological and economic progress means we have more resources than ever to solve major problems - for instance, child poverty in wealthy nations is now very solvable from a resource perspective.

Personal Journeys and Impact

Both Bregman and interviewer Andrew Yang reflected on their own journeys pursuing ambitious, impact-focused paths:

• Bregman noted it was harder but more fulfilling to move beyond just writing books to trying to build real-world change.
• Yang discussed how running for president, while unsuccessful electorally, opened up new relationships and opportunities to drive change.
• Both emphasized how pursuing big goals attracts like-minded people and creates positive network effects.

They acknowledged these paths involve setbacks and challenges, but ultimately allow for more meaningful and exciting lives and careers.

Inspiring Others to Dream Bigger

A key theme was the power of encouraging others to expand their ambitions. Bregman cited research showing that simply telling someone you think they can do more can have major ripple effects.

The School for Moral Ambition aims to systematize this, creating programs and communities to inspire people to redirect their talents and increase their positive impact on the world.

Both Bregman and Yang emphasized that while the challenges facing humanity are immense, we have more resources and capabilities than ever before to tackle them - if we can inspire and organize talent effectively.

Getting Involved

For those inspired by these ideas, there are several ways to engage:

• Apply for fellowship programs through moralambition.org
• Donate to support the School for Moral Ambition's work
• Join "moral ambition circles" - small groups meeting to explore redirecting careers towards impact
• Read Bregman's new book "Moral Ambition" for a deeper dive into these ideas
• Follow Bregman's work at ruckerbregman.com

The ultimate goal is to create a movement redefining success and redirecting human talent and ambition towards solving the most pressing challenges facing humanity. While the task is enormous, Bregman and others are working to build the tools, communities and cultural shifts needed to make it possible.

Conclusion

Rutger Bregman's School for Moral Ambition represents an ambitious attempt to reshape how we think about success, talent, and impact. By creating fellowship programs, communities, and a broader movement, Bregman hopes to inspire a wave of talented people to redirect their ambitions towards solving major global challenges.

While the obstacles are significant, ranging from economic pressures to cultural norms, Bregman sees major opportunities. Technological progress means we have more resources than ever to tackle issues like poverty. And history shows that cultural shifts in how we define success and admirable lives are possible.

Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond just doing the minimum in terms of charity or volunteering, and instead foster a "moral maximum" - where our most talented and ambitious individuals are working directly on humanity's greatest challenges. It's an inspiring vision, and one that Bregman and others are working hard to make a reality.

For those inspired by these ideas, there are growing opportunities to get involved - whether through applying to programs, joining local groups, or simply reconsidering how to define success and impact in one's own life and career. The challenges are immense, but so too is the potential for positive change if we can effectively harness human talent and ambition.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKahnoHlF6c