Towards A More Civil Society
Robert Evans III, MDLF (Class VI), is an Indianapolis native and a veteran of the Afghanistan War. He holds a Masters from the O'Neill School of Public Policy, and is a Master's candidate at the McKinney School of Law. Currently, he works in technology leadership for the State of Indiana.
As MDLF Class VI’s second year comes to a close, it is fitting that our final discussion at the Liberty Fund was entitled “First Steps to Civil Society, Free Speech and Liberty.” Led in their trademark Socratic style, by the always insightful, and entertaining, Pat Lynch, Senior Fellow, we questioned the original purpose of these concepts, and their place in modern American life.
In preparation for the day the class read the argument for free speech in John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, the New York Times Editorial Board’s reporting on America’s free speech “problem”, and a review of the Hamilton County, IN “book banning” controversy that many of us were personally familiar with. This is one of the most valuable aspects of the MDLF experience, the chance to grapple with hard philosophical concepts like Mill’s arguments, and the requirement to apply them directly to Indiana.
Two things stood out to me that are worth noting. The first is that even within a cohort of highly educated, and engaged professionals, the American experience produces so much divergence on what many assume are mutually agreed upon concepts like civil society. The key question seems to be the level of obligation individuals have to each other, and what part the government and/or social institutions play in reinforcing those obligations.
The other point that stood out is how effective MDLF is at bridging ideological gaps. Having spent the last two years getting to know each other, with no agenda other than true understanding, Class VI has become a network where we can check our biases, and test ideas, without fear of public scrutiny. One classmate paid another the highest compliment. He said that even though they still disagreed on a number of policy issues, opinions expressed in MDLF, and in social media, encouraged them to start actively seeking opinions outside of their normal channels.
Increasingly, Americans believe that we have become a more polarized nation; that values and institutions that have sustained us are no longer capable of creating national unity or providing community for individuals. One example is the death of local bowling leagues which, for many communities, served as a way to engage in civil society, outside of politics. This has resulted in an epidemic of loneliness. Filling that gap is one focus of our classmate Micheal Froedge’s capstone project The Indianapolis Faith and Work Forum, where he attempts to build tangible connections between the concepts of work and faith. Micheal is an example of how MDLF addresses Indiana’s challenges by emphasizing a thoughtful bias towards action.
I think I can speak for my class when I say that these past two years have been transformative, both personally, and professionally. Every single member of Class VI has achieved some form of professional advancement, or public recognition. Two classmates, Keanna Warren who leads Purdue Polytechnic High Schools, and Geoff Fenelus of the Indiana Department of Education, have become key players in education innovation.
Many of us have executed capstone projects that are currently providing tangible benefits to the state. While others, myself included, have used the capstone experience to gain a better understanding of our skills, and priorities.
Indiana is poised to enter its greatest era. In large part, this is due to an intentional decision on many fronts to ground ourselves in the governing principles of our greatest leader, Mitch Daniels. With a focus on his values of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and the importance of private enterprise, MDLF Class VI is prepared to carry on his mission. Equally as important is what we've found in the last two years; the chance to create friendships, dialogue, and the civil society all Hoosiers deserve.
