FreedomFest bills itself as the “World’s Fair of Liberty,” an annual conference built around liberty, free markets and prosperity. Founded in 2002 by economist and author Mark Skousen, the event brings together thousands of attendees and hundreds of speakers to discuss the ideas, policies and cultural forces that shape a free society.
The conference reaches beyond politics and economics. Its program also covers philosophy, science, technology, health, culture and the arts, reflecting FreedomFest’s view that liberty touches every part of life. Through debates, films, investment panels and other sessions, the event aims to create a forum where advocates of individual choice, open markets and free expression can meet, argue ideas and build alliances.
Mark Skousen, Founder and Producer, FreedomFest
Valerie Leigh Durham, President and CEO, FreedomFest
Jo Ann Skousen, Co-Founder, FreedomFest; Founding Director, Anthem Film Festival
Freedomfest Interview
NewsBlaze: FreedomFest is often described as the “World’s Fair of Liberty.” If liberty were truly flourishing in the modern world, would an event like FreedomFest still be necessary, or does its growing popularity suggest freedom is actually declining?
Mark Skousen: I started FreedomFest at the beginning of the 21st century because it seemed that the enemies of liberty were more organized than the freedom movement, and were winning. Note the decline in the World Economic Freedom Index since 9/11, 2001. Freedom is still a dangerous word these days, so the need for the freedom movement to come together once a year to learn, network, socialize, and celebrate liberty is needed now more than ever.
Jo Ann Skousen: Even if liberty were flourishing—in fact, especially if it were flourishing—FreedomFest would still be a necessary and welcomed event. FreedomFest is not a place to wring our hands and worry about the state of the world; unlike many other freedom-oriented organizations, we do not thrive on hard times. FreedomFest is a place to find solutions to world problems, join with friends, listen to popular speakers, learn about investment opportunities, enjoy liberty-oriented films and art, and celebrate liberty.
NewsBlaze: Many critics argue that free markets can create inequality. Supporters argue they create opportunity. In your view, what is the most misunderstood truth about capitalism that the public still fails to grasp?
Mark Skousen: Free markets create equality of opportunity, not equality of outcomes. A world where everyone earns the same amount of money would be a disaster. Economics is all about incentives, and people need incentives to work, save, invest, and create. That’s what free-market capitalism does. It also gradually turns luxuries into necessities, and increases the quantity, quality, and variety of goods and services for all, not just the rich.
Jo Ann Skousen: Capitalism is simply a system of saving and investing. If we spend less than we earn each month, we can invest our savings in future opportunities. Capital drives the economy by providing the funds necessary to start a business, hire workers, purchase infrastructure, innovate, and produce. And private business people are able to respond more quickly to unexpected changes in demand than government agencies can, providing the goods and services customers need, when they need them, especially during natural disasters.
NewsBlaze: In the age of artificial intelligence, some technologists predict a future where machines replace vast numbers of human jobs. Does AI represent the ultimate triumph of innovation, or a potential threat to the dignity and independence of human labor?
Mark Skousen: Historically, innovation and technology have created more jobs than they have destroyed. Fear of AI has been way overblown. It will replace many traditional jobs, but it will create new ones. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030, with 170 million new roles created and 92 million displaced. New roles include AI trainers, AI engineers and safety specialists, robotics technicians, data analysts, and tech-enabled jobs in healthcare, education, and green energy.
Jo Ann Skousen: New technology is always changing. Should we lament the loss of switchboard operator jobs and force people to continue counting on humans to connect our calls, or should we celebrate the ease with which we can now communicate instantly with a cell phone—and do it by text, email, social media, and a host of other new methods? Yes, AI will eliminate some jobs, but it will create many others. And those who were doing the tedious jobs will find other jobs that are more interesting and rewarding.
NewsBlaze: FreedomFest attracts people from across the political spectrum. In a time when many institutions avoid disagreement entirely, why do you believe open debate still matters, and do you think society is losing the ability to disagree productively?
Mark Skousen: FreedomFest prides itself on offering lots of debates on current topics. These are civil, formal debates, minimizing talking over each other and shouting matches. Our mock trial is our most popular event each year. We’ve debated climate change, socialism vs. capitalism, inequality, Donald Trump pro and con, religion, and more. We encourage our attendees to be open-minded to new views, and to act civilly toward those who disagree. Benjamin Franklin said it best: “By the collision of different sentiments, sparks of truth are struck out, and political light is obtained.”
Jo Ann Skousen: I would disagree that “many institutions avoid disagreement entirely.” We are more divisive and tribal than ever before, and politicians, podcasters, nonprofit organizations, and others thrive on the animosity. At FreedomFest we welcome open, civil debate, where people can listen thoughtfully and learn new solutions to our problems by focusing on reason and logic rather than demagoguery and fear. As a college professor, I am always encouraging my students to give the reasons for their beliefs. A well-supported argument is more persuasive than an emotional “That’s my opinion, and I’m entitled to it.”
NewsBlaze: Some argue that younger generations are becoming more skeptical of free markets and more comfortable with government control. Is this a failure of education, a failure of communication, or simply a generational cycle repeating itself?
Mark Skousen: Public education has been a failure, and we always have sessions on how to introduce free-market alternatives in the classroom, such as Stossel in the Classroom, which always offers both sides of every issue. We are confident that when both sides are presented to students, most students will vote for freedom and free markets.
Jo Ann Skousen: Skepticism about free markets is mostly a failure of an education system that now focuses on paying attention, following instructions, listening quietly, and memorizing the “correct” answers to standardized tests. It’s also a function of an environment in which parents can’t allow their children to play outside, walk to the store, ride their bikes alone, or participate in myriad activities that promote successful problem-solving skills and lead to confidence in taking reasonable risks. Free markets are risky, but they are also highly rewarding. Government control feels safer, and not being responsible for one’s actions or one’s future seems easy and desirable.
NewsBlaze: Historically, great advances in liberty have often followed periods of crisis. Looking at today’s political and economic tensions, are we heading toward a renaissance of freedom, or toward greater centralization of power?
Mark Skousen: Thomas Jefferson warned us, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” The size and scope of government continue to increase, and that’s why we have FreedomFest every year, to fight this natural trend caused by crises from time to time.
Jo Ann Skousen: Because students today are being held back from risk-taking in childhood play and school, they are no longer predisposed toward taking risks to create solutions that might require major change. They also aren’t being taught the principles that led to the great migration from Europe to the Americas, or the dramatic changes created in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that led to greater freedom than any civilization has ever known. Sure, it took a century to fully enact the principle that all men—all humans—are endowed inherently with inalienable rights that cannot be altered by monarchs, dictators, or majority rule. But we need to focus on where we are now in terms of equal rights under the law, and how the Bill of Rights helped us get here, rather than criticizing the fact that the Founders couldn’t make the leap all at once.
NewsBlaze: If you could place one idea about liberty into the minds of every college student in America tomorrow morning, what would it be?
Mark Skousen: I’d quote this statement by economist Wesley Mitchell about the Adam Smith model of liberty. According to Wesley Mitchell, Adam Smith objected to the government constantly interfering with individual choice, which he called mercantilism. “You see how bold and sweeping that argument is from Adam Smith’s eyes; everybody quite obviously is pursuing his own interest; it is evident, in his own local situation, [that he] is a better judge of where his economic interest lies than any statesman could be. Therefore, the individual will get on best if he is left alone by the government…. The wealth of nations will increase most rapidly if every person is allowed the fullest opportunity to decide for his own individual self what is the best way to use his labor and whatever capital he possesses. In other words, the best policy for governments… is to interfere as little as possible with the occupations and investments of its citizens.”
Valerie Leigh Durham: I believe that the most important concept missing in our student and young person population today is the value of voluntary contribution. It matters that we make decisions from a place of voluntarism. When our interactions and decisions are voluntary, they come from a place of personal ownership and sovereignty. These lead to positive collaborations, honesty, authenticity, openness, fairness, equity, and more. When our actions are coerced by law, convention, social pressure, obligation, or fear, we are not truly experiencing freedom in our lives or in our world.
NewsBlaze: FreedomFest includes discussions of culture, art, science, and even health. Why is it important that the concept of liberty extends beyond politics and economics into the creative and personal realms of life?
Mark Skousen: To enjoy maximizing freedom, individuals need to be financially independent and healthy. FreedomFest always has sessions on healthy living, financial independence, and films that promote personal responsibility and individual choice.
Jo Ann Skousen: Good art is good storytelling. If a story is told authentically, the meaning and emotion of the art will surface organically. We started the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival and the Freedom360 Foundation in part to create a community of artists that would create and distribute high-quality art and entertainment with an underlying message of individuality, choice, accountability, and self-reliance. Therefore, we promote and mentor excellence in conveying emotion, meaning, and storytelling across the arts.
Show and Biz: The Market Economy in TV Series and Popular Culture is a smart, insightful anthology of articles that examines how the free market is portrayed in influential television shows of the 21st century. One of my favorite quotes from the book: “Recent findings of cognitive psychology . . . suggest that human beings tend to learn by stories. . . . As Hayek saw clearly, ‘it is only at several removes that the picture which [the historian] provides becomes general property; it is via the novel and the newspaper, the cinema, and the political speeches, and ultimately the school and common talk, that the ordinary person acquires his conceptions of history.'”
If this is true, and we believe it is, then we who believe in liberty need to be more involved in claiming our share of the “general property” of history and molding it in a way that reclaims the magic of markets and the sanctity of the individual making personal choices. In short: we need to be making movies, writing novels, telling jokes, and singing songs. We need to be telling our stories through the common medium of entertainment. And we need to be doing it excellently.
NewsBlaze: Many Americans today seem willing to trade personal freedom for security, convenience, or government benefits. At what point does that trade become dangerous for a free society?
Mark Skousen: Economics is all about incentives. I give a lecture on the A&W principle: A stands for “Accountability” or the “user pay” principle. “If you benefit, you should pay for the benefit.” W stands for the “Welfare Principle,” which is, “You help those who need help, but you don’t help those who don’t need help; otherwise you destroy their incentive to work.” There’s always some tension between the A&W principles. If government is too generous with its welfare principle, it hurts the accountability principle and incentives to work. A proper balance is essential.
Jo Ann Skousen: At what point? Now! We are already there. When free speech is portrayed as a detriment to society and students are unable to comprehend why all speech must be protected—even hate speech—then we are in danger of losing our basic civil rights. I often remind my students that abolitionists had to speak out against popular laws in order to end slavery. Women had to speak out against popular laws in order to achieve the right to vote. The gay community had to speak out against popular laws in order to gain the right to live openly. It’s easy to be against racism, sexism, and discrimination today, when it’s the popular opinion of the nation at large. But it takes courage—and protection of free speech—to speak out when it isn’t popular or even legal. And the promise of freebies, coupled with the fear of being “canceled,” contributes greatly to the lack of courage in modern society.
NewsBlaze: FreedomFest has hosted major figures from politics, business, and entertainment. In your experience, who tends to be the most open to new ideas about liberty—politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, or young activists?
Mark Skousen: Entrepreneurs, by far, because they have a stake in their own freedom to think, act, and invest based on their own knowledge.
Valerie Leigh Durham: We have found that entrepreneurs are by far the most open to new ideas about liberty. That is why creators and builders are so key to our future. They are willing to truly consider the value of something new for the impact it can create. They are willing to put aside preconceived notions, old systems, traditions, and power structures in the pursuit of “what works.” That’s one reason we have an entire Entrepreneurship & Innovation program at the conference—to celebrate and feature the work of key builders in the liberty space who are contributing across the board to new opportunities in our society.
NewsBlaze: In a world increasingly dominated by large governments, massive corporations, and powerful technologies, what does individual freedom actually look like in practical terms for the average person?
Mark Skousen: The Adam Smith model answers this question. We’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of his magnum opus, The Wealth of Nations, this year. He believed that freedom is maximized if there are basic rules of justice in place, and robust competition between firms and customers; otherwise monopoly power stifles the ability of individuals to get what they want and achieve their goals.
Valerie Leigh Durham: I think the ultimate practical experience of freedom is around choice: choice in what we can do with our money, choice in what we can do with our time, choice in how we can take care of our health, choice of who we can interact with, choice of what we can say, and choice of what we learn, think, and create. When we have choice in how to spend our time, money, and energy, then we have freedom in our lives. FreedomFest demonstrates the choices we have in all areas of our lives—political, financial, professional, health-wise, cultural, social, spiritual, intellectual, and more.
NewsBlaze: Imagine historians looking back fifty years from now. Do you believe they will say this era expanded human freedom, or restricted it?
Mark Skousen: Overall, we have made much progress in freeing millions of people from poverty, disease, discrimination, and government suppression, and in giving them the chance to achieve the “American Dream.” But as Ronald Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
Jo Ann Skousen: That’s an interesting question. Certainly, human freedom has been expanded in recent decades in terms of recognizing the plight and the rights of the “other”—those who were traditionally not heard because they were not part of the dominant class, race, or gender. And that’s a good thing.
As a society, we needed to take off our blinders and see the unfairness and injustice that existed all around us. But in a more abstract sense, basic freedoms are being restricted and eroded through affirmative actions that now limit the rights of the hegemonic group in favor of the minority.
We need to find a balance where the Bill of Rights applies to all people, and is not restricted or limited in order to create a desirable social change. If it was wrong to limit civil rights to one group, it is still wrong to limit civil rights to another group, even if that group had been guilty of discrimination.
We hope for a world where all people are free, rather than focusing retributively on the past.
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