Religious Liberty: A Cornerstone of Modern Democratic Governance

In this episode, Dan Runde is joined by Christos Makridis, a Digital Fellow with the Initiative on the Digital Economy at MIT and a Research Assistant Professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Dan and Christos sit down to discuss Christos’ article, “New Research Shows Religious Liberty Drives Human Flourishing — And Why This Matters Now More Than Ever.” They explore the concept of religious liberty and its two central components, the first being the freedom to choose what to believe, and the second being the freedom to worship as one sees fit. They go on to discuss the history of religious liberty and how it can reduce the likelihood of public and political corruption, foster women’s empowerment, and bolster democratic governance. Furthermore, Dan and Christos talk through the reasons why those who are not religious should care about religious liberty, and the ways in which religion is rooted in the freedom to express one’s beliefs and worldview.