Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with Jeffrey Rosen

Jeffrey Rosen is president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and the host of the We the People podcast. In addition to his work at the NCC, Jeff is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor at The Atlantic. During our recent conversation on the Walker Webcast from the recent Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, we discussed everything from Jeff’s story and upbringing to his new book, The Pursuit of Happiness.

The importance of deep reading and lifelong learning

Even though Jeffrey studied at Dalton, Harvard, Oxford, and Yale, he credits much of his education to his mother and father. They were the ones who instilled in him the importance of deep reading and the pursuit of a lifelong journey of learning. This key belief was not something that started with his parents, though. Instead, it has been passed along through generations of his family. This belief was so important to Jeffrey’s grandfather, who immigrated to Detroit, Michigan, from Europe, that he hand-carved a legend that said, “The fountain of wisdom flows through books.” This was handed down through generations of the Rosen family, with it being one of Jeffrey’s most prized possessions to this day.  

The struggle with humility

Thomas Jefferson devised a list of twelve virtues, also known as his “dozen canons of conduct in life,” that he strived to live by every day. Benjamin Franklin added a thirteenth, which was humility. Jeff believes that almost everyone in the world struggles with humility because to be humble, you need to have control of your ego, which can be a very difficult task.  

Jeff’s podcast and hearing scholarly opinions

During his time at the National Constitution Center, Jeff has begun a podcast called “We the People,” where he has some of the foremost scholars, judges, and political representatives talk about some of the most pressing constitutional issues we face today. The NCC and his podcast are designed to be non-partisan, which is very difficult to attain, especially now.  

During our conversation, I asked him if he held the belief that the Constitution is a living, breathing document that changes over time or a document that’s set in stone.  He answered that over his time at the NCC, he’s lost interest in his own opinions. Throughout his working career, he’s heard compelling opinions arguing both sides of important issues, which makes it incredibly difficult to be sure of one’s own beliefs.

Want more?

I never grow tired of discussions like this with the brightest minds of our generation, like Jeff, about their respective fields. To see who I’ll be interviewing next, be sure to check out the Walker Webcast home page!