The Night of Ideas

For centuries, the idea of progress — inherited from the French Enlightenment and embedded in the founding principles of American democracy — promised that reason, science, and humanism would improve our lives, and that each generation would inherit a better world than the last. Yet from the beginning, these claims about human rights and equality coexisted with their selective application, extended to some while denied to others.

As we mark this anniversary amid rampant erosion of democratic values, populism, climate crisis, algorithmic determinism, increasing pauperization of the middle class, global disinformation, and the decline of the humanities, rethinking the ideal of ‘progress’ has never been more urgent. Together we will explore the legacy of the French Enlightenment, examining persistent forms of optimism and resistance — not as nostalgia, but as critical practice grounded in art, music, philosophy, literature, community work, and responsible use of new technologies.

The first part of the Night of Ideas Seattle will be held at Town Hall on Saturday, April 18. This evening features provocative panels and visual art, the evening in order to create intergenerational dialogue.

Events are offered for informational, entertainment, and educational purposes only. Read Town Hall’s Program Content Policy.