THE ISSUE.

Somewhere between E pluribus unum and the present, the things that made America flourish became the things we believed could save us. Means became ends and good servants became false gods. Self-interest, markets, technology, finance, and the worship of equality have failed us. One need not be religious to discern that idols make poor saviors. As inheritors of this decline we are left with a looming question: what now?

THE NEED.

Anyone can point out what is wrong. It takes courage to affirm what is right and perseverance to see it through. The latter is the goal of the Arcata summit as expressed in our theme: Prospects for American Renewal. The renewal will only be realized by our banding together and propelling ourselves out of the muddy rut of apathy and disaffection. Any unified action requires a unified vision of what renewal looks like in the domains of culture, technology, economics, and governance.

THE PRINCIPLE.

Serious inquiry requires the freedom to test ideas, challenge assumptions, and disagree in good faith. Arcata’s inaugural summit is therefore an independent forum, not an exercise in enforced consensus. No conclusions are prescribed in advance; we ask only that consequential questions be met with intellectual courage, curiosity, and respect.

THE INVITATION.

We are inviting 120 scholars and professionals, creatives and craftsmen, leaders and learners to take up these questions in Bozeman, Montana. With its roots in the frontier history of the Mountain West, Bozeman is a fitting place to consider the future of the American experiment. We will gather neither to reminisce nor to speculate idly, but to enlighten the mind, strengthen the will, and lift the spirit—and to equip participants to become agents of renewal in their own lives and communities.