Fintan O'Toole: The Idiocy of Greatness

In this episode of Library Talks , the acclaimed Irish writer, Fintan O'Toole, delivers the annual Robert B. Silvers lecture. The idea of greatness has infused politics across much of the globe in the last decade, from Brexit to Donald Trump's MAGA movement. In this lecture, Fintan O'Toole suggests why greatness is, after all, not so great: it is in thrall to an imagined past, it generates a constant state of disappointment, and it drains energy away from the achievement of ordinary decency.

You can listen to Fintan O'Toole: The Idiocy of Greatness online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Fintan O'Toole: The Idiocy of Greatness is an episode from The New York Public Library Podcast by The New York Public Library.

This episode is 01:00:11 long.

This episode was published on Apr 22, 2026.

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