Dec 2, 2015, 3:57 PM ETConference Presentation, Fireside Chat, Panel

The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier and More Prosperous America

Arthur Brooks asserts that the free enterprise system is the only mechanism capable of lifting billions out of poverty, citing an 80% decline in starvation-level poverty (two billion people) globally since 1970.
Brooks argues that the primary drivers of this reduction were globalization, free trade, property rights, the rule of law, and entrepreneurship, rather than foreign aid or international institutions like the UN or IMF.
Brooks defines his career purpose as a "service job" dedicated to expanding abundance to serve the poor, distinguishing his motivation from personal material gain.

Brooks introduces the concept of "abundance without attachment," derived from a meeting with Swami Gyan Muni in India, to resolve the tension between economic success and spiritual fulfillment.
Citing a 2012 University of Rochester study, Brooks notes that individuals pursuing "exogenous goals" (money, status, power) achieve them but report lower life satisfaction and higher anxiety.
Conversely, individuals pursuing "endogenous goals" (relationships, love, community) report higher happiness and better physical health outcomes.
Brooks identifies a cultural "conspiracy" in media and advertising that promotes the formula "use people, love things" as a path to happiness, arguing the correct formula is "love people and use things."
Brooks clarifies that the root of evil is not money itself but the "love of money," a misquotation of scripture he attributes to a misunderstanding of St. Paul and Ecclesiastes.

Brooks prescribes two specific actions to cultivate detachment: physically giving away a cherished material object to rebel against the natural tendency of attachment, and consciously stopping the focus on the price of goods.
He advocates for investing scarce resources, specifically time, into endogenous relationships rather than material acquisitions.
Brooks illustrates the "paradox of things," noting that material items are often ephemeral while shared experiences with loved ones remain permanent memories.
He references a University of Liverpool study showing that husbands who give more to strangers are rated as more attractive by their wives, linking generosity to social and relational success.
Brooks shares a personal anecdote about choosing a beach vacation over a couch during financial hardship, noting that the relationship experience was etched in his memory while the couch eventually disappeared.

Brooks contends that the central ingredient of free enterprise must be aspiration, not greed, as societies based on greed will not persist.
He argues that Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments predates and underpins The Wealth of Nations, emphasizing that moral sentiments are the glue required for free markets to function.
Brooks critiques the education system for failing to support vocational training, apprenticeships, and displaced workers, leaving 25% of the population behind.
He argues against the cultural stigma against trades, stating it is morally worthy to be a "hedge fund manager or to trim hedges," and notes that 300,000 skilled welding jobs remain unfilled in the US.
Brooks challenges the narrative that people desire "free stuff," asserting that the poor prefer aspiration and opportunity when they perceive a viable path forward.
He urges conservatives to stop assuming poor people are lazy and to recognize that people take aid only when desperate and devoid of opportunity.
Brooks addresses campus free speech issues, calling for intellectual diversity and urging progressives to advocate for hiring conservatives in academia, citing a 14-to-1 left-right ratio among professors.
He warns that evolutionary imperatives for fame can conflict with happiness, advising individuals to rebel against the urge for status in favor of a satisfying life.

Brooks expresses optimism for resolving political gridlock in Washington, citing Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Lyndon B. Johnson as examples of leaders who transcended partisanship through shared moral interests.
He identifies "governance by pessimism and division" as the primary failure of the last decade, contrasting it with the previously promised unity and optimism.
Brooks calls for "breakout leadership" that reinflates the moral consensus in politics to focus on creating opportunity for the poor, rather than engaging in a "holy war" of competing ideas.
He concludes that bipartisan cooperation is possible if both sides agree on the moral imperative to lift the poor and assume that all humans desire aspiration.
The event concludes with an invitation for the audience to join Brooks for a book signing and Q&A session to discuss The Conservative Heart.