In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his vision for four fundamental freedoms that ought to be secured for people everywhere: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
These four ideals formed the bedrock of the liberal world order. But in 2025, they are under threat from a radically new set of technological, economic, and cultural challenges.
What does free speech look like on the internet, where a handful of tech giants control the flow of information? Would the crisis of meaning in our society be alleviated if people turned back to religion? Why, in an age of unprecedented prosperity, are so many of us so unhappy? And how can we guarantee both freedom and security in an era of mass surveillance?
This year, The Free Press is partnering with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to present The Freedom Debates, four live debates in cities across the country that speak to FDR’s four freedoms and tackle the urgent, complex questions associated with them. We are thrilled to have the support of FIRE, the country’s premier civil liberties organization, for this series.
Our first debate—“Does the West Need a Religious Revival?”—will take place February 27 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, featuring Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ross Douthat, Adam Carolla, and Michael Shermer.
Paid subscribers can head HERE to purchase presale tickets before they open to the general public in 24 hours, using the code at the end of this article.
We can’t think of a topic more urgent than this one.
Anyone with eyes to see has noticed that our culture is fraying. It’s not just the degradation of trust in institutions, the extreme political polarization, and the culture wars tearing our communities apart. Marriage rates have reached historic lows, as have childbirths. Conversely, depression, anxiety, loneliness, addiction, and deaths of despair have spiked.
It’s a crisis of meaning that has befallen not just the United States but most countries in the West.
In recent years, a growing chorus of intellectuals has pointed to the decline of traditional religion as a culprit. Our existential dread, they argue, is the result of a “God-shaped hole,” filled only with consumerism, hedonism, nihilism, and destructive ideological movements. That was the subject of one of the most important essays we published last year: Peter Savodnik’s “How Intellectuals Found God.”
At the time of FDR’s Four Freedoms speech, American churches were flourishing. One half of Americans were attending services regularly. Now, fewer than half of us even belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque.
Despite their emphasis on freedom of worship, the founders of the United States understood religion to be fundamental to a well-functioning society. John Adams wrote in 1798 that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Is rising secularism the culprit for our modern malaise? Or is the problem elsewhere—the result of rapid technological changes, growing economic inequality, and other social disruptions? And would a return to religion be a return to dogma, repression, and intolerance?
On February 27, we’re convening an all-star lineup to answer the question: “Does the West Need a Religious Revival?” For the first event of our Freedom Debates series, Ross Douthat and Ayaan Hirsi Ali will face off against Adam Carolla and Michael Shermer.
Paid subscribers now have exclusive access to purchase presale tickets before they open to the general public in 24 hours. The access code is below.
At The Free Press, passionate, smart, good-faith debate is at the very core of our mission. Our commitment to open conversation is why we partnered with FIRE to host our America Debates series last year. We are so proud to partner with them again on this year’s series, The Freedom Debates.
We are grateful to our paid subscribers for making this debate, and everything we do at The Free Press, possible. We encourage you to take advantage of the 24-hour presale period by using the access code at the end of this email.
VIP tickets include an invitation to our debate after-party, where you’ll chat with Bari Weiss and members of The Free Press and FIRE teams, mingle with the debaters, and get a chance to meet each other IRL. Plus: strong drinks and great food. You won’t want to miss it.
If you’re a student, verify your academic status here to receive a special student discount code!
