Every child in America deserves to know that a path to a successful life exists and they have the power to follow it. But instead, kids today are besieged by two incomplete, harmful narratives. The “blame the system” narrative teaches kids they are powerless against societal forces while the “blame the victim” narrative tells them that any undesirable outcome in life is a product of their own shortcomings, regardless of whether they have received any meaningful support along the way. There is a third way that keeps the individual at its center while relying on mediating institutions to guide and support young people.

In this special episode, Ian discusses his new book, “Agency.” At each juncture of Ian’s career, he noticed that young people, in addition to absorbing a cultural narrative that devastated their chances of success, were growing up in communities with high concentrations of fragile families, lack of school choice, declines in religiosity, and significant unemployment.

Rowe fully acknowledges the reality of societal barriers in disadvantaged communities. That’s why, in addition to a personal conviction in their own potential, kids need to embrace four building blocks that will lead to a life of human flourishing: Family, Religion, Education, and Entrepreneurship (F.R.E.E.).

Resources

• Agency | Ian Rowe | Templeton Press

• Agency: A Book Event with Ian Rowe and Yuval Levin | American Enterprise Institute

• Critical Race Theory Distracts from Widespread Academic Underachievement | Ian Rowe | Newsweek

Show Notes

• 02:55 | July 11, 2016: The moment Ian realized schools were not enough

• 08:55 | Young people are trapped between two harmful narratives

• 11:30 | Agency: The force of your free will guided by moral discernment

• 13:25 | Breaking down the F.R.E.E. framework

• 25:50 | F.R.E.E. is universal and timeless

• 28:30 | This book is for anybody who has the ability to shape the moral character of young people