DETAILED REPORT
On August 13-14, 2004, Atlas Economic Research Foundation co-hosted a dinner and workshop on Communicating the Ideal of Liberty, along with the Sutherland Institute (Utah) and the International Freedom Educational Foundation.
The premise of the workshop was that, while many think tanks excel at research and promoting their findings to others who speak in the language of cost-benefit analysis, few freedom-oriented institutes have succeeded in spreading their message to larger audiences with different values.
The late political scientist Aaron Wildavsky used to say that “I do not care what you know, unless I know that you care.” This workshop on Communicating the Ideal of Liberty created a discussion about how to choose the right language and make effective arguments that respect different moral and religious traditions.
The meeting began with a dinner event at which the keynote address was given by Foster Friess, President of the highly successful Brandywine Fund. He spoke on “Putting a Human Face on Economic Liberalism,” sharing insights about how his company achieved success through an ethical approach to business, how he views the wealth he has earned as God’s bounty that he feels obliged to use in charitable endeavors, and how public policy solutions that prioritize freedom can help more individuals achieve their dreams.
Before this inspiring talk, the Salt Lake City audience of 85 heard introductory remarks by Atlas president Alex Chafuen, Sutherland president Paul Mero, and Handley Templeton, a member of the Board of Directors of the John Templeton Foundation. Following Handley Templeton’s remarks, the crowd viewed a short film showcasing the 2004 winners of the Templeton Freedom Prize for Ethics & Values.
On Saturday, August 14, the program began with a panel on “Developing an Ethical Basis for the Communication of Liberty in a Diverse and Divided World: Perspectives from some of the World’s Great Moral Philosophies.” Featured speakers included: Radwan Masmoudi (Center for the Study of Democracy & Islam, Washington, DC),Robert Sauer (Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, Israel), Samuel Gregg (Acton Institute for Religion and Liberty, Michigan), and Edward L. Hudgins (Objectivist Center, Washington, DC). The first three speakers reviewed how the traditions of Muslims, Jews and Christians have much common ground within the principles of a free society. Hudgins discussed the imperative of encouraging a new individualism, as reflected in Ayn Rand’s objectivist philosophy, as the best basis for advancing the ethical argument for freedom.
A second panel looked at “Successful Efforts to Communicate the Message of Liberty to Skeptical Audiences.” Colombian intellectual entrepreneur, Hans Peter Mueller, discussed his success in earning regular column-space in a major business magazine to bring free-market ideas directly to the public. Zühtü Arslan, representing Turkey’s Association for Liberal Thinking, reviewed the accomplishments of an organization operating in a very difficult environment but gradually influencing leading public intellectuals. Jacques Garello of the French Catholic Economists Association discussed student programs throughout Europe that are winning more young people to the cause of classical liberalism.
The lunchtime keynote address was given by Atlas’s Leonard P. Liggio on “The Cultural and Religious Foundations of Private Property,” based on a paper he co-authored with Alex Chafuen. Liggio prefaced his remarks with a review of Utah’s great champions of liberty, following on a generous introduction by Sutherland Institute founder, Gaylord Swim.
After lunch, Atlas senior fellow William Dennis announced a new prize, being given through Atlas’s Fund for the Study of Spontaneous Orders, in the amount of $10,000 to Guz DiZerega.
For the final session of the workshop, Vince Breglio – co-founder of the highly respected marketing and polling company Wirthlin Worldwide – led a two-hour workshop on “Communicating the Message of Liberty.”
Suggesting that winning new consumer or constituents depends upon “persuading by reason, motivating by emotion,” Breglio showed the workshop a methodical approach to identifying the “emotional drivers” that motivate individuals on a given issue, and then developing a communications strategy that links a product or idea to the needs of an audience.
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