David Brooks Left The New York Times. Here’s What He’s Searching For

David Brooks, journalist, New York Times columnist, PBS commentator, author, and social analyst, did something few at the top of their game do. He quit his powerful position at The New York Times to write for The Atlantic, host a weekly podcast, and become a fellow at Yale University.When one examines the evolution in his columns, books, and speaking engagements, it is not a surprising decision.To understand his reasons, go no further than his “Time to Say Goodbye” column of January 30, 2026. It should be required reading at all schools. You don’t have to agree; simply listen and have conversations.Brooks has always been interested in the culture beneath politics, and his subject matter has moved from politics to individuals and what makes them tick.He has moved from what politics does to what the individual does, and he has called on his readers to focus more on eulogy virtues than résumé virtues.He calls for a restoration of human relationships—not just how we see ourselves, but how we see others and how others see us.He wants to ask about moral choices more than political choices. He wants to ask what makes a good life.He argues these are the questions that come from the humanities and a liberal education. The final column is a call to arms for him—and for you—to drink deeply from the humanities.David Brooks’ new podcast is “Permanent Questions.”Its first episode was posted on Sunday, September 13.With the midterm elections a few weeks away and the focus on the 2028 presidential election already here, it is a moment to ask: What essential questions are Americans asking about their lives and the life of their country?We will ask David Brooks what questions we should be asking and who can help us answer some of what Brooks and his guests call the “permanent questions.” We will ask how some of these questions come from his personal experiences and others from experts.The first episode of “Permanent Questions” was released on September 13, 2026. The guest was Megan Sullivan, a philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame, and the subject was “How We Should Lead Our Lives” and “What It Means to Lead a Good Life.”