Is the America Dream dead? What was it anyway? Hudgins will argue that at the center of that dream was individuals having the opportunity to prosper and flourish through their own achievements, achievements that benefit and inspire everyone. That dream has been tarnished, but in recent years has been renewed, notably by the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial types who follow their individual visions, love and take pride in their work, and are revolutionizing one sector after another. Hudgins will argue that if the dream is to be a reality, the human achievement ethos must be promoted explicitly and openly, as the Enlightenment values that created our modern world and the United States were several centuries ago.

 Hudgins is a senior scholar and director of advocacy at The Atlas Society. Previously he worked at the Cato Institute, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, and the Heritage Foundation. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and has taught at universities in the United States and Germany.