3 P4 A5209 Livio Baumgartner
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3 P4 A5372 Livio Baumgartner
© Livio Baumgartner
Conversation

Francis Fukuyama

Is the Age of Freedom Over?

11.07.2025
Admission: 19:00
Start: 20:00*
Old Botanical Garden

Hate speech and disinformation on social media, populist leaders in the West, the aggressive politics of Russia and China – democracies around the world are in crisis. What can they still offer in response to military threats and growing societal division?

Francis Fukuyama discusses the core values that true liberalism must uphold, the damage caused by neoliberalism, and how we must respond to today’s challenges if we want to preserve our freedom.

American political scientist and economist Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His 1992 bestseller The End of History made him world-famous. He taught at Johns Hopkins University and has published numerous books on U.S. and global politics. He is currently Professor of Political Science at Stanford University in California.

He comes to Zurich with his new book Liberalism and Its Discontents, in which he puts our system to the test: Is the Age of Freedom Over?

*20:30 if the weather is nice

Moderation
Language

The conversation will be in English.

Bookstall

Organized by the bookstore Buchhandlung Volkshaus

Backup venue

If the weather is bad or uncertain, the event will take place indoors at Kaufleuten.

Bar

Enjoy sandwiches, snacks and drinks at the festival bar. Open from 7 pm.

Restaurant

Treat yourself to a fine dinner before the event at Kaufleuten Restaurant, open from 6pm.

Playlist

A selection of songs framing the talk with Francis Fukuyama – themes of freedom (social, political, and personal), democracy, America, and a time of change ➜ Spotify-Playlist