Why don’t Americans trust anything anymore, and what can we do about it?
Ben Shapiro took up that question at the University of Austin (UATX) on April 26, headlining the Spring Founders Celebration with a talk on the decline of America’s core institutions and what it would take to rebuild them.
Shapiro was introduced by historian and UATX co-founder Sir Niall Ferguson.
UATX co-founder Joe Lonsdale followed with a one-on-one conversation on the future of higher education, lessons from two decades of running a media company, and what Christians and Jews can learn from each other.
A student Q&A then moved through Lincoln, Tucker Carlson, the fractures inside Israeli politics, the rise of populism, and the costs of life lived on social media.
UATX President Carlos Carvalho closed the evening with remarks on the kind of student UATX is trying to form, and the case for building a new university from the ground up.
00:00 — UATX President Carlos Carvalho 03:16 — Niall Ferguson introduces Ben Shapiro 07:26 — Why UATX is important 08:09 — Why Americans hate each other 10:12 — Emotivism 11:57 — The death of politics 12:30 — Hannibal Lecter skin suits 12:53 — Conspiracy theories 14:11 — Why people don't go to church anymore 15:04 — Vaccines 16:02 — Social engineering & weak professors 17:08 — The last time Harvard meant veritas 17:49 — Epistemic humility 18:30 — Read the Federalist Papers 19:56 — War of all against all 21:03 — Capitalism & soul sickness 22:42 — Tribalism 23:38 — JS Mill and debate culture 26:09 — How to restore our institutions 26:40 — Why UATX matters 27:52 — Joe Lonsdale interviews Ben Shapiro 28:10 — What is a college degree worth? 29:46 — What Jews should learn from Christians and vice versa 32:21 — Candace Owens 34:24 — Audience Q&A: Abraham Lincoln & the Declaration of Independence 36:10 — Q&A: Constitutional boundaries 38:31 — Q&A: Tucker Carlson 42:09 — Q&A: American ingratitude 45:02 — Q&A: How to unite our country 48:42 — Q&A: How to repair our institutions 51:41 — Q&A: The three most important words in the English language 54:25 — Q&A: The future of populism 57:08 — Q&A: Lizard brains 59:43 — Q&A: How Israeli politics work 01:04:03— Q&A: How to strengthen America 01:07:29— Q&A: Practical advice for students 01:09:07— Standing ovation for Ben Shapiro 01:09:36— President Carlos Carvalho's speech 01:11:08— How to raise lions
By the way, Ben Shapiro adapted his UATX remarks into an essay for The Free Press. Read it here.
A scene from the crowd during UATX’s Spring Founders Celebration.
What Does Freedom Look Like Beyond Earth?
Spaceflight is leading to a rethinking of the human body, and extraterrestrial settlement will rewrite human politics. Astronauts, scientists, and political thinkers convene at UATX May 8-9 for the Torchlight Summit to discuss biosovereignty and the next frontier.
