David Brooks

Washington, DC

David Brooks is one of America’s leading writers and commentators on culture, politics, and the social sciences. An op-ed columnist for The New York Times since 2003, he also lends his voice as a regular commentator on PBS NewsHour, NPR’s All Things Considered, and NBC’s Meet the Press. His recent writings consider the moral shortcomings of American culture, calling for connection, character, and community-building in an age of hyper-individualism and social fragmentation. In 2018, Mr. Brooks joined the Aspen Institute to found and lead Weave: The Social Fabric Project, which heals social divisions through grassroots and community development efforts.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Mr. Brooks’ early media career included reporting and editing roles at The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, and Newsweek. He is the author of five books, including the bestselling The Road to Character and, most recently, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, and his articles have been published in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Forbes, The New Republic, among others. He has served on the faculty of Yale University and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010.