The Autumn 2019 Munk Debate on Capitalism is coming to the big screen Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. streamed live from Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and shown free at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater.  Aiming to help the world rediscover the art of public debate, the Munk Debates convene the brightest thinkers of our time to weigh in on Capitalism,  something that touches on everything from the 2020 U.S. election cycle to climate change to economic inequality: “The capitalist system is broken. It’s time to try something different.”

In our divided times, those behind The Munk Debates believe that convening civil and substantive debates is a vital public service. Staging debates biannually in Toronto, Canada, with the support of the Aurea Foundation and their founders Peter (1927-2018) and Melanie Munk, their position is that everyone should have the opportunity to hear both sides of an issue argued free of spin, focused on the facts, and then make up their own mind about where they stand.

Arthur Brooks; Harvard professor, bestselling author and a Washington Post columnist, and David Brooks; an American cultural and political commentator, come to the stage to argue that Capitalism is the engine of economic and social progress. Not only has capitalism made all of us materially better off, its ideals are responsible for everything from women’s rights to a cleaner environment to greater political freedoms. The answer to society's current ills is more capitalism, more economic freedom, and more free markets. Arthur Brooks’ takes the position that the American Free Enterprise system is our gift to the world. As an author, Arthur Brooks writes on topics including philanthropy, military operations research, the future of conservatism and human happiness. David Brooks, bi-weekly columnist for The New York Times’ op-ed pages and a regular analyst on PBS NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered, argues that capitalism over the past 25 years has been an incredible moral good. David Brooks is known for using humor and passion to address his audiences on topics that include present-day American and foreign politics, culture and healthcare.

Capitalism’s critics propose economic inequality is rampant. Life expectancy is falling. The environment is being destroyed for profits. Political power is wielded by wealthy elites and big business. The answer is a top to bottom reform of the “free market” along more socialist and democratic lines. Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation, a leading American source of progressive politics and culture, argues that Americans are tired of struggling merely to stay afloat… It’s time for a completely new deal. Heuvel is a frequent TV news commentator on U.S. and international politics and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post. Joining Heuvel in this argument is Yanis Varoufakis, who proposes we need to organize politically to defend the weak, empower the many and prepare the ground for reversing the absurdities of capitalism. Author of several books on game theory, microeconomics and macroeconomics, Varoufakis is also a Greek politician, economist and academic.

Mark your calendars for this free Autumn 2019 Munk debate on capitalism. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  Two sides. One stage. You decide.