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

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. At a moment when public life can feel brittle, Freedom and Its Futures offer 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.