Washington Ethical Society

Replacing Magical Thinking with Rational Discourse: How can freethinkers help restore democracy? The platform will be shared by representatives from all twenty-five national Ethical Societies and will feature music from the Washington Ethical Society Chorus, Jaque DuPree and Barry Kornhauser, with presiders Vandra Thorburn, Elaine Durbach and Lyn Cox. As we face this historical moment, when cult thinking and fake news have fueled an attempted insurrection, yet grassroots organizing gives us hope in the future of multiracial democracy, we reflect on the intellectual traditions supporting a free society. What do our shared values lead us to do now in order to cultivate a world in which we bring out the best in each other and ideas are allowed to flourish without threat of violence? A panel of ‘freethinkers’ from within our movement will draw from philosophy, history, and Ethical Culture. They are Dr. David Sprintzen, Professor Emeritus at Long Island University; Christian Hayden, Leader-in-Training