We the People

Walter Isaacson on the Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Nov 13, 2025
Guest
Walter Isaacson
Bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson dives into the meaning of the Declaration's second sentence, revealing how 'we' echoes social contract theory from thinkers like Locke. He discusses Franklin's impactful edit of 'self-evident,' grounded in reason, and tackles the founders' contradictions on equality and slavery. The conversation also branches into whether AI can restore civil discourse and the need for an economy focused on the common good, reflective of Franklin's civic ideals.
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INSIGHT

We As Social Contract

  • Jefferson's "we" invokes social contract theory: individuals voluntarily form a collective to secure shared rights.
  • This collective "we" underpins both the Declaration and later the Constitution's opening "We the People."
INSIGHT

Self‑Evident As Rational Claim

  • Franklin replaced "sacred" with Hume's "self-evident" to root rights in reason, not religious dogma.
  • "Self-evident" separates analytic truths from empirical ones and frames political equality as rational, not biological.
ADVICE

Build Truth‑Seeking Tech

  • Design AIs and media to prioritize truth-seeking and civil discourse rather than amplifying bias and conspiracy.
  • Encourage tools that present competing viewpoints and primary sources to help users evaluate evidence.
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