Does Age or Physical Capacity Matter in Public Service?

Age and physical ability have long played crucial roles in public service. Younger leaders are often perceived as energetic and productive, while older politicians are mostly viewed as wise and authoritative. However, in an era marked by deep divisions and a focus on performative rhetoric over bipartisan compromise, age and ability have become contentious in modern politics. In today’s volatile political climate, how do these factors truly impact public service?

Join us Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 11:00 am EDT // 4:00 pm BST, for another installment of Free Speech at the Crossroads: International Dialogues.

This event is co-sponsored by the Free Speech Project (Georgetown University) and the Future of the Humanities Project (Georgetown University and Blackfriars Hall and Campion Hall, Oxford).

John Battle, chair, Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Leeds

MT Connolly, elder justice expert, USC Center for Elder Justice

Richard Thomas, board member, Careers Wales

Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford

Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University