Fight for the Values of a Free Society!

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Around the world, free societies are under attack. Authoritarian populists are undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law. And instead of rallying around free speech and liberal democracy, many writers and activists take such an unremittingly bleak view of our societies that they cheer on the destruction of its founding values.

For many years, philosophical liberals barely fought back. They were too complacent in their views, and too uncertain of their own values, to make an affirmative case for the benefits of free speech and open inquiry—or to insist that we are more likely to build fair democracies by emphasizing our commonalities rather than our differences.

Less than six months ago, I founded Persuasion in the hope that the time of inaction could finally be drawing to a close. “We need to build a new community of thinkers, activists, and citizens that is committed to defending and reinvigorating the values of a free and fair society,” I wrote in my opening statement. But since I didn’t have any funding or staff, I had no idea whether we would be able to build such a project from the ground up.

Thanks to you, we have.

The success of Persuasion has exceeded what I could have imagined. We now have tens of thousands of subscribers across the globe. We have built a smart and vibrant community that debates ideas, discusses books, leaves amazingly smart comments on our website, or joins us for our weekly happy hours. We have hired an incredibly talented staff and are rapidly expanding it. We have attracted wonderful writers, from famous voices to first-time authors. Our articles have been translated into four languages and covered on Morning Joe. When I was visiting my mom in a small Tuscan village, I picked up a newspaper in the local bar, and found to my own surprise that it featured one of our articles.

Because we want to make sure that our ideas reach the broadest possible audience, we have, so far, made virtually all of our content freely accessible. We want to keep doing that. But to sustain the work we do, and keep our ambitions growing, we need more paying subscribers.

So, if you can afford it, please take out a subscription today. I wouldn’t be asking you if it didn’t make a real difference to our ability to produce great content. (And if you happen to sit on the board of a foundation, or would consider making a tax-deductible donation, please contact our David, our Director of Operations, at dhamburger@persuasion.community.)

Now, I could sell you on all of the many benefits that come with being an annual subscriber or a founding member. (I mean, who wouldn’t want to debate books with the likes of Anne Applebaum, Coleman Hughes, Garry Kasparov, and—coming in early 2021—Fareed Zakaria?) But the truth is that Persuasion has never primarily been a value proposition; it is a community of people pledging themselves to the defense of common values.

Thank you so much for being a member of our community, and reading our work. Happy holidays, stay safe—and here’s to hoping that 2021 shall mark the beginning of the roaring twenties.

Yascha

P.S: You can now order lovely Persuasion gear on our new online shop!