Freedom and Its Futures: Conversations on the Meaning of Freedom Today

Join the third in a series of small group discussion about freedom and responsibility, in connection with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We'll be using a short excerpt from Zadie Smith's essay "Joy" as the anchor. 

New Yorkers live amid a tangle of crises that test both imagination and resolve: trust has frayed, civic faith is waning, attention is scattered, and loneliness runs deep. Freedom and Its Futures begins from this reality. We’ll ask what it takes to keep freedom alive when its foundations feel uncertain—and what tools, technologies, and practices might sustain the liberal arts and liberal democracy in the years ahead. Each of the four conversations offers space to reflect on freedom’s many meanings, to listen across difference, and to imagine what might come next. 

Each session invites open, thoughtful dialogue—without judgment, jargon, or the friction that too often replaces genuine exchange. Using short readings and images from the past and present, participants consider how trust, empathy, and imagination can be renewed through conversation. These aren’t lectures but shared inquiries, where curiosity replaces certainty and understanding begins with listening. 

At a moment when public life can feel brittle, Freedom and Its Futures offers something both timely and enduring: a chance to practice the habits of democracy. As the nation approaches its 250th year, the series reminds us that the humanities are not just about books or history—they are the beating heart of a free society, where reflection, reason, and moral imagination still matter. 

This session will address "The Market Mindset and the Erosion of the Common Good."
How has market thinking reshaped how we understand meaning, value, and community? This conversation examines what happens when efficiency eclipses purpose—and how shared worth, beyond transaction, might be reclaimed. 

Registrants will receive the short Zadie Smith excerpt by email should they want to read it ahead of the program. 

What Is a Community Conversation? 
A Community Conversation is an open, participatory space for shared inquiry. Unlike a workshop, which teaches or trains, it invites participants to be the experts—the value lies in the dialogue itself. Each gathering centers on a short text or image that sparks reflection and exchange. We make space for all voices, keep the tone civil and generous, and focus on civic—not partisan—questions. The goal is simple: to think together across differences and imagine, however briefly, what it means to live freely, together.