Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Shilo Brooks, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and professor of practice in the Department of Political Science at Southern Methodist University, joins Todd Breyfogle, senior advisor for humanistic studies and practices at the Aspen Institute, for a conversation about the ideas and institutions that shape American democracy. He has served as executive director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, and has spent his career exploring the principles that underlie the American political tradition and the role of liberal education in preparing citizens for thoughtful, engaged participation in civic life. As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, Brooks reflects on the enduring ideals at the heart of the American experiment and on the importance of reading, reflection, and civic learning to the project of self-government. Drawing on the great books and foundational texts from American history, he considers how these works can help us think for ourselves and participate more meaningfully in democratic life. Presented as part of the McCloskey Speaker Series.
Shilo Brooks, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and professor of practice in the Department of Political Science at Southern Methodist University, joins Todd Breyfogle, senior advisor for humanistic studies and practices at the Aspen Institute, for a conversation about the ideas and institutions that shape American democracy. He has served as executive director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, and has spent his career exploring the principles that underlie the American political tradition and the role of liberal education in preparing citizens for thoughtful, engaged participation in civic life. As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, Brooks reflects on the enduring ideals at the heart of the American experiment and on the importance of reading, reflection, and civic learning to the project of self-government. Drawing on the great books and foundational texts from American history, he considers how these works can help us think for ourselves and participate more meaningfully in democratic life. Presented as part of the McCloskey Speaker Series.
