The Democratic Spirit at 250

About the event:

As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this timely conversation explores the enduring meaning of democracy in American life. Philosopher and cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah will reflect on the philosophical foundations of liberty, equality, and civic responsibility, and consider how these ideals continue to shape communities across the nation.

Drawing on his influential work on ethics, identity, and cosmopolitanism, Appiah will examine how democratic societies cultivate mutual respect, shared responsibility, and meaningful civic participation. His reflections connect national democratic ideals with regional histories and lived experiences, offering insight into how the “democratic spirit” is expressed in diverse communities.

The live online program will feature a lecture followed by a Q&A, creating space for thoughtful dialogue among students, educators, and the broader public. Commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, the event invites reflection, conversation, and renewed engagement with the principles that sustain a free and just society.

Kwame Anthony Appiah is one of today’s most influential public philosophers, known for bringing clarity and humanity to conversations about identity, ethics, and democracy. A professor at New York University and a longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine as “The Ethicist,” Appiah explores questions of morality, culture, race, and religion with rigor and accessibility. His acclaimed books include Cosmopolitanism, The Honor Code, and The Lies That Bind, a Washington Post notable book that examines the histories and meanings of modern identity.

A recipient of the National Humanities Medal and the Library of Congress Kluge Prize, Appiah has been recognized as one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals and a Carnegie Corporation “Great Immigrant.” Born in London, raised in Ghana, and educated at Cambridge University, he has taught at Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and other leading institutions. Through his writing and teaching, Appiah challenges audiences to look beyond boundaries and engage the shared ethical questions that shape our common humanity.

Moderator Dr. Dennis Cooley is Professor of Philosophy and Ethics and Director of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU. He is the author or editor of five books, including Technology, Transgenics, and a Practical Moral Code (Springer), Death’s Values and Obligations: A Pragmatic Framework (Springer), and co-edited Passing/Out: Identity Veiled and Revealed (Ashgate), and a number of professional ethics articles. Cooley is editor of Springer’s International Library of Bioethics, the NPEI’s Northern Plains Ethics Journal, and former Associate Editor of Elsevier France’s Ethics, Medicine and Public Health.

This program is made possible in part through partnership with

Chapter 10, The Northern Plains Ethics Institute, The State Historical Society of North Dakota, and the ND 250th Commission.