Think-Off Turns Up Thoughts on Truth
New York Mills Regional Cultural Center
24 Main Avenue North, PO Box 246
New York Mills, MN 56567
Contact: Betsy Roder, Executive Director
218/385-3339 or 218/298-2308 or [email protected]
www.think-off.org www.kulcher.org
Think-Off Turns Up Thoughts on Truth
Great American Think-Off Essay Deadline Approaches
New York Mills, MN—March 4, 2017—The X-Files character, Fox Mulder believed “The Truth is Out There.” Is the truth really out there to be found–something we can all agree on? Or is it all relative in life and metaphysics?
The 2017 Great American Think-Off question is “Has the 2016 election changed our perception of truth?” and armchair philosophers from across the nation are invited to pick a side and defend it in a 750-word essay, which must be submitted by April 1st.
How are we to know what the truth is in the post 2016 election world where we are assaulted with “fake news” and “alternative facts”? Does truth exist at all? Regardless of how you cast your vote, these pervasive questions may serve as jumping off points for your essay answering this year’s Think-off question.
Essays can be submitted online at think-off.org, e-mailed to [email protected], or mailed to The Great American Think-Off, P.O. Box 246, New York Mills, MN 56567.
Finalists will be selected, notified, and have their names released by May 1. The great debate will be held among the four finalists on Saturday, June 10, 2017, when the audience will vote to crown America’s Greatest Thinker. Each of the four finalists will receive $500 plus travel, food and lodging in New York Mills for the Think-Off weekend.
Be a part of history — submit your essay and join the throngs of truth-seekers, philosophers and thinkers who will answer the Think-Off’s 25th Anniversary question.
The Great American Think-Off began in 1993 as a philosophy competition designed to bring controversial and philosophical questions out of the ivory towers of academia and into the lives of everyday Americans. Controversies settled over the first 24 years include: “Is honesty always the best policy?” (1998), “Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?” (2008), and “Does technology free us or trap us?” (2015).
For more information please call the Cultural Center at (218) 385-3339 or visit the Center’s website at www.kulcher.org.
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About the Great American Think-Off:
Now in its 25th year, The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas being explored by everyday people. Designed to bring philosophy down from the ivory towers of academia and make it accessible for all, the contest has received national acclaim including coverage by C-SPAN, the New York Times, and The Today Show.
The Cultural Center, located in the rural farm and manufacturing town of New York Mills, Minnesota, sponsors this annual philosophy contest and encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to participate. The Cultural Center in New York Mills is a rural center for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. Since our incorporation in 1990, we have been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world.
To get a better sense of the Think-Off, find details, historical information, and a list of all 25 years of questions and winners on the event website: www.think-off.org.
