Is This a Time to Build, or a Time to Re-found? — David Brooks and Ross Douthat

Do our institutions need repair—or replacement? In one of the festival's most anticipated conversations, longtime friends and conservative public intellectuals David Brooks and Ross Douthat debate whether our moment calls for rebuilding existing institutions or re-founding them altogether. Introduced by Christine Emba and reflected upon by Mark Labberton. Mentioned: Albert O. Hirschman Frederick Buechner American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony, by Samuel P. Huntington James Baldwin Gregory of Nyssa and the Song of Songs "Fast Car," by Tracy Chapman The papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas Comment's Manifesto Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episode Highlights "We look through the world through mud-colored lenses." (Brooks) "Culture change happens more by example than by argument, via admiration more than by persuasion." (Brooks) "Romanticism is an insurrection of the whole person against the tyranny of the part." (Brooks) "In this period, it's easier to coast, to slide, and often to despair." (Douthat) "What is the new university, and why isn't Silicon Valley money funding it?" (Douthat) About David Brooks David Brooks is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the inaugural senior presidential fellow at Yale's Jackson School of Global Affairs, after twenty-two years as a New York Times columnist. He wrote The Second Mountain and How to Know a Person. About Ross Douthat Ross Douthat is a New York Times Opinion columnist and hosts the podcast Interesting Times. A fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, he wrote The Decadent Society and Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious, and lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Helpful Links and Resources Comment's manifesto: comment.org/manifesto/ The Understory Festival: comment.org/understory/ Comment magazine: comment.org #TheUnderstory #CommentMagazine #DavidBrooks #RossDouthat #ChristianHumanism #CulturalRenewal #FaithAndPublicLife #BuildOrRefound