What we’re about
Welcome to the New York City branch of the Center for Inquiry (CFI).
The Center for Inquiry strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, free inquiry, and humanist values. The Center for Inquiry New York City sponsors leading thinkers for lectures and panel discussions on science, philosophy, and religion; supports local community events and campus groups; and works with media and opinion makers. We also hold social events to help build a friendly community of secular citizens here in New York City.
For more information, please visit our Web site where you can also signup to receive our monthly newsletter (just click Receive E-Mails at the lower right, and keep up to date on CFI-NYC upcoming events!) .
CFI NYC is a member of Reasonable New York, a coalition of many groups around the New York
area devoted to critical thinking, and celebrating science and secularism.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- "Our Fragile Freedoms" (Book Talk with historian Eric Foner--FREE at BPL)Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn, NY
To attend at Brooklyn Public Library you MUST sign up here:
CBH Talk | Eric Foner and Andrew Delbanco Discuss “Our Fragile Freedoms” | Brooklyn Public LibraryOur Fragile Freedoms:
Join two of our nation’s most distinguished historians for a searching conversation about freedom, democracy, and the lessons of the past. Eric Foner’s newest collection of essays, Our Fragile Freedoms, serves as the springboard for an intimate exchange with Andrew Delbanco. Together, these two towering scholars explore the Civil War and Reconstruction as essential touchstones for understanding today’s convulsions around race, inequality, and political polarization—while also confronting the heated debates over how history itself is taught.
As Foner reminds us, the polarization, prejudice, and challenges to democratic norms we face today are not without precedent. Drawing on the historical record, he illuminates how the legacies of slavery—our nation’s “original unhealed wound”—continue to shape our politics, and how the impulse to deny that history has long undermined progress. His perspective offers both caution and clarity, revealing patterns that echo across centuries.Freedom in America has always been a birthright for some and a hard-won struggle for others. The rights gained are never guaranteed—they can be lost if not defended with knowledge, vigilance, and civic courage. Join us for this rare opportunity to hear two eminent voices reflect on the past in order to better navigate the urgent crises of the present.
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##### Participants
Eric Foner's indelible works include the landmark history, Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution; a bestselling study of Lincoln and slavery, The Fiery Trial, winner of the Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Lincoln Prizes; and an influential history of the Reconstruction amendments, The Second Founding. The DeWitt Clinton Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, Foner continues to write frequently for The Nation and other publications.
He is one of only two persons to serve as President of the Organization of American Historians, American Historical Association, and Society of American Historians. He has also been the curator of several museum exhibitions, including the prize-winning "A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln," at the Chicago Historical Society.
Eric Foner photo courtesy of Lynn Garafola - AI and the Future of Work (CUNY GradCntr, FREE!)CUNY Graduate School and University Center, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, New York, NE
You MUST sign up via CUNY to be admitted to the talk:
AI and the Future of Work Tickets, Tue, Oct 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM | EventbriteArtificial Intelligence is developing at breakneck speed, causing much anxiety about how our society and daily lives may change in the not-too-distant future. Top of mind for many: jobs. A panel of experts brings the speculation down to earth, addressing questions such as: What jobs will AI replace? What new jobs will be created? How will AI affect workplace conditions, wages, unions, and the overall economy? Featuring Daron Acemoglu, Nobel laureate and professor of economics at MIT; Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate, former New York Times columnist, and distinguished professor of economics at the CUNY Graduate Center; Danielle Li, David Sarnoff Professor of Management of Technology at MIT; Zeynep Tufecki, professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and a New York Times columnist; and others. Moderated by Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times labor reporter and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.
CFI-NYC will go out for an inexpensive dinner nearby after the event.
