In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Humanities New York invites you to a Community Conversation exploring revolution not only as rupture, but as renewal, return, and civic inquiry. Anchored in Thomas Cole’s dramatic painting cycle The Course of Empire and a short excerpt from Polybius’ Histories—a text that echoed through Enlightenment thought and shaped the American decision for independence—the discussion will reflect on how societies rise, flourish, falter, and begin again.
Together we will ask: Is revolution an end, or a return to an earlier stage? What sustains civic flourishing, and what leads to decline? And how can the humanities help us face cycles of change in our own time?
This 90-minute dialogue emphasizes dialogue over debate, hope over despair, and connection over division—an act of democratic renewal for all who join.