The Philadelphia Declaration
What did the founders miss, and what can we do better?
In April of 2024 a group met in Philadelphia to ask that question. Common Ground Campus was part of it. What came out is a modern reading of the principles in the Declaration of Independence, written for the next 250 years.
“We believe that adopting these values will be the source of progress for our country and others throughout the world. A vibrant, exciting, and life-affirming future.”
What it stands for
Reality is the standard of true and false
Reality sets limits on what we can do and achieve. It also offers us room for choice, achievement, and progress.
As against: Views that deny facts, or deny that truth is possible at all.
We are both individuals and social beings
Only individuals think, and only individuals choose. We also live in families, friendships, work, and civic life, and those bonds give life meaning.
As against: The view that we are all determined, or that a person is defined by race, sex, or any other group.
A free society depends on character
It asks its citizens for agency, honesty, responsibility, gratitude, courage, and goodwill toward others. Those traits are what make the pursuit of happiness possible.
As against: The mindset of entitlement that claims what it did not earn and refuses responsibility for its own actions.
A free society is the most productive and inclusive kind
It lets people explore, collaborate, and create in every part of life. The success of one person does not come at the expense of another.
As against: The view that progress is a zero-sum game, and that one person's success is another's loss.
The full document runs longer than this. It does not ask you to agree with every line. It asks you to read it carefully and think for yourself.
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Signing says you have read it and you stand behind it. It is not a membership and it does not sign you up for anything.
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