The Next 250 Years (of Persuasion)

America just turned 250… and Persuasion just turned six!
Yascha founded Persuasion in the divisive summer of 2020. Our mission was to revive the tradition of philosophical liberalism at a time when polarization and groupthink were taking hold of the country.
That same year, Frank launched American Purpose. Its founding mission was to track the rise of authoritarianism around the world and to offer a vision of liberalism reimagined for the 21st century.
Driven by a shared sense of purpose, the two joined forces in 2024. Since then, our community has grown to 130,000 subscribers representing 174 countries around the world. We’re grateful every day for the trust you’ve placed in us.
By now, you know what we stand for. Liberalism, not authoritarianism. Pluralism, not conformity. Free speech, not censorship. We disagree and debate but don’t troll. We write about the liberal values that animated the Founding Fathers 250 years ago precisely because they light the only path out of the mess we find ourselves in today. We also cover AI, elections, campus dynamics, and so much more, because these are the fights that matter.
And we do it all with good humor and a sense of moral purpose.
The last year has been a big one for Persuasion. We significantly expanded our output—new articles, episodes, and events now reach you six days a week. We formally welcomed a new group of Contributing Writers to the team, including Steven Pinker, Cathy Young, Joseph Heath, John McWhorter, and many more. They’ve been frequent guests in our pages, and their writing epitomizes our commitment to rigorous yet lively content that challenges our thinking and expands our understanding. They help us keep a disciplined eye on what’s truly important, not just trendy narratives and flash-in-the-pan clickbait. You’ll find some of our all-time favorite pieces from these writers below.
We’ve also relaunched our events lineup and programming—including Ask the Author, Book Club, and Intellectual Bootcamp—to offer you more opportunities to talk to our writers, engage with the Persuasion team, and connect with one another.
In celebration of Persuasion’s 6th birthday, we want to thank you for your support. Persuasion is growing and thriving because you read our pages, listen to our podcasts, and participate in our events.
But here’s the truth: this work is only possible because some of you pay for it. Of our 130,000 subscribers, a small fraction of paying supporters funds what you receive here—the essays, podcasts, and events we produce. If Persuasion has challenged your thinking, given you a political home, or simply helped keep you sane these past six years, this is the year to join.
If you’re a free subscriber, upgrade this month and we’ll knock 15% off your first year. Our birthday offer ends July 31. As a paid subscriber, you’ll get full access to our archives and exclusive programming like the Intellectual Bootcamp. But more than that, you’ll be one of the people who keeps this work going.
Do you know someone who feels politically homeless, or a student who could use a dose of sanity on a fractious college campus? Give them a year of Persuasion.
Persuasion is a registered nonprofit, so if you’d rather support us with a one-time, tax-deductible donation, every gift helps.
And if you’re able to make a significant gift—or you’re a program officer at a foundation weighing where to invest—please email Laura Berlind directly at laura.berlind@persuasion.community.
Help us make sure the values that built America’s first 250 years are still standing for the next 250.
With thanks, as ever.
– Yascha and Frank
P.S. The 15% birthday discount ends July 31—upgrade here and join the readers who make Persuasion possible.
The best of the contributing writers:
Follow Persuasion on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network.
And, to receive pieces like this in your inbox and support our work, subscribe below:
It could become very different in just 2.5 with an outcome nobody guessed. It’s bipolar with two countries dominating autonomous weapons by dominating AI. But one might be ahead of the other. Pax Si_ica, l or n?

Facts Only

* Yascha founded Persuasion in the summer of 2020.
* Frank launched American Purpose in 2020 with a mission to track authoritarianism and offer a vision of liberalism for the 21st century.
* The two joined forces in 2024.
* The community has grown to 130,000 subscribers representing 174 countries.
* The organization promotes liberal values, pluralism, and free speech.
* They cover topics including AI, elections, and campus dynamics.
* Contributing writers include Steven Pinker, Cathy Young, Joseph Heath, and John McWhorter.
* The organization offers programming such as Ask the Author, Book Club, and Intellectual Bootcamp.
* Paid subscribers fund the work.

Executive Summary

The organization Persuasion was founded in the summer of 2020 by Yascha and Frank to revive philosophical liberalism amid rising polarization. They collaborated with Frank's American Purpose initiative, which seeks to track authoritarianism and offer a modern vision of liberalism. The two joined forces in 2024, growing their community to 130,000 subscribers across 174 countries. Their content focuses on liberal values from the Founding Fathers while also addressing current issues like AI, elections, and campus dynamics. The organization has expanded its output by publishing content six days a week and onboarded contributing writers including Steven Pinker and Cathy Young. They offer various programming such as Ask the Author and Intellectual Bootcamps. The organization solicits financial support through paid subscriptions and donations to sustain its work.

Full Take

The narrative constructs a framework centered on recovering foundational liberal principles as the necessary response to contemporary societal fragmentation characterized by polarization and groupthink. This positions the work not merely as commentary but as an essential corrective or pathway for navigating modern complexity, linking historical philosophy to immediate concerns like AI and political discourse. The appeal leverages a moral imperative—the preservation of Founding values—to establish intellectual authority over current debates. A key pattern involves establishing an "us versus them" dichotomy: liberalism versus authoritarianism, pluralism versus conformity. This framing utilizes the perceived chaos of the present to validate the specific content offered as the singular path toward sanity and intellectual integrity. The mechanism for engagement relies on cultivating a sense of shared purpose among subscribers who feel politically homeless or seeking reasoned discourse. The implicit assumption is that restoring these historical values inherently resolves modern conflicts, which serves to anchor the platform within a pursuit of moral truth rather than purely empirical fact-finding. What remains to be examined is how this rigorous commitment balances the necessary intellectual humility required when engaging with the multifaceted realities addressed by the writers and topics covered.

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

LIKELY_HUMAN (confidence: 0.15)