The Enlightenment was a period during which intellectual leaders prioritized values—including secularism, individual liberty, scientific research, and skepticism toward religion and tradition—that gave birth to, among other things, the United States. Yet these values are increasingly under assault by advocates of government intervention in the economy and society; by academics who promote cultural relativism and denigrate freedom, wealth, science, and the Enlightenment itself; and by religionists who claim that the Enlightenment was rooted in faith.

In this talk, Timothy Sandefur will recount the philosophical and political legacy of the Enlightenment and discuss how embracing its core values can help us to lead freer, happier lives today.