FTI: What Makes America Great? A Cross-Perspective Dialogue

America means different things to different people—and that’s exactly why this conversation matters.

This Free Thinker Institute event brings together individuals with diverse political perspectives to explore a simple but powerful question: What truly makes America great—and where are we falling short?

We’ll examine:

• Core strengths: opportunity, innovation, freedom, community, resilience
• Real challenges: inequality, polarization, trust in institutions, global role
• How different groups define “greatness”—and where those views overlap
• What we should preserve, improve, or rethink moving forward
• Practical ideas to bridge divides while strengthening the country

The goal isn’t to debate winners and losers—it’s to understand, challenge assumptions, and find common ground where progress is possible.

Expect a respectful, candid discussion focused on learning, not labeling—and on building a clearer, shared vision for America’s future.

A little about our host:
Garrett is a programmer turned award-winning software inventor turned entrepreneur ([PlateRate.com](http://platerate.com/) is his company). His hobby is writing and discussing practical philosophy, and he does life coaching on request to help people live happy, moral lives. He is also the executive director of The Free Thinker Institute ([FreeThinkerInstitute.org](http://freethinkerinstitute.org/)), which aims to create a community that helps members increase happiness and decrease harm for themselves and those they can influence.

Format:
Lecture and discussion

Note:
Social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg
After registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.

Here’s our legal notice:
For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.