Updates
IHS Launches Initiative to Strengthen the Foundations of Self-Government
IHS will draw on its network of more than 7,000 scholars to support research aimed at strengthening the foundations of self-government.
Read MoreIdeas in Motion
Essays, conversations, and perspectives from the IHS network—exploring how ideas take shape, spark debate, and influence the real world across policy, education, and culture.
Ideas Shaping a Freer Society
Ideas
AI Will Create Work, Not Decimate It
Emily Chamlee-Wright draws on economic history to challenge the assumption that AI will simply substitute for human effort across the board.
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Ideas
Why Individual Freedom Is the Heart of Classical Liberalism
Liberalism asserts that people deserve to follow their own beliefs, pursue their own goals, and live according to their own values.
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Updates
Requests for Proposals: Freedom and the Challenge of Change
IHS is investing in scholarship examining how freedom can remain resilient in a period of political, technological, and institutional strain
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Case Studies
Alicia Plemmons: Fighting Licensing Barriers with Better Data
Why does it take longer to become a hair braider than a police officer? This question and others prompted Alicia to challenge licensing rules.
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Case Studies
Verlan Lewis: Beyond Left vs. Right
Verlan Lewis urges students to treat politics as plural, with many issues, many trade-offs, and many opportunities for humility.
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Case Studies
Jean Vilbert: Choosing Dignity Over Security
What made Jean Vilbert a successful judge also made him sensitive to what he’d surrendered: the freedom to ask certain questions.
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Ideas
A Liberal Foreign Policy That Favors Peace
The liberal vision for foreign policy prioritizes diplomacy, free trade, and cultural exchange, but maintains strength to resist aggression.
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Case Studies
Daniel J. Smith: Finding and Fighting for Freedom
When asked what keeps him doing this after so many controversies, Dan answered, "Because we have to make progress on these vexing issues.”
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Ideas
William Galston on the Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech
At an IHS event, William Galston addressed this question: how do free societies endure when their citizens are driven by dangerous passions?
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Case Studies
Lauren Hall: The Case for Radical Moderation
Lauren Hall saw how systems built on good intentions can miss the human reality right in front of them. What does genuine progress require?
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Ideas
Why Intellectual Humility Matters (and Why It's Hard)
Intellectual humility about the limits of human knowledge underpins classical liberals' support for free markets and defense of free speech.
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Updates
IHS and Cosmos Partner to Put Human Insight at the Center of AI Scholarship
Announcing the AI-Accelerated Scholarship Program—helping scholars use AI to deepen discovery while keeping the human mind at the center.
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Case Studies
Paula Ganga: A Jolt of Freedom (and Ideas That Stay Alive)
From post-dictatorship Romania to the classroom, Paula Ganga’s journey explores the moral foundations of freedom and why ideas still matter.
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Updates
How to Use AI in Academic Research: Best Practices
Used wisely, AI can amplify research. Here are some best practices for scholars who want to use AI in research with integrity.
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Ideas
A Popular Front of Memory
In this sharp and timely essay for Liberal Currents, Michael Tolhurst warns that such revisionism is more than an intellectual parlor game.
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Ideas
Justice: Freedom in Practice
Justice begins with the recognition that people are moral agents, capable of making decisions for themselves and pursuing their own goals.
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Case Studies
Ilya Somin: The Soviet-Born Scholar Taking On Trump's Tariffs
Somin's story is a reminder that freedom is fragile, but worth defending—in classrooms, in courts, and in everyday life.
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Updates
IHS Receives $1.5M to Rebuild the Intellectual Infrastructure of Freedom
The Institute for Humane Studies has received a $1.5M grant from the John Templeton Foundation to launch a three-year initiative—Accelerating Classical Liberal Research Across Divides—supporting scholars, open inquiry, and the intellectual foundations of a free society."
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Ideas
Rules Matter More Than Rulers
Democracy’s survival depends less on electing "better rulers" and more on building constitutional limits on presidential power.
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Ideas
Freedom of Expression: The Safeguard of Liberty and Discovery
The freedom of expression guarantees the right to voice one’s thoughts, challenge authority, confront orthodoxy, and exchange ideas.
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Ideas
Society Needs Philanthropic Privacy
In the name of transparency, an attack on civil society is unfolding with the right picking up tactics from the left.
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Ideas
Rule of Law: Why Constitutional Constraints Matter
Discover how the rule of law and constitutional limits protect freedom, ensure justice, and prevent government overreach in free societies.
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Ideas
Harvard's Fight Is a Defense of Democracy and Civic Virtue
Harvard shows how the defense of one institution can be a defense of higher education and a healthy democracy.
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Updates
Summit on Trust and Democracy: Cross-Ideological Work Toward a Flourishing Democracy
By convening scholars and practitioners at events like the Summit on Trust and Democracy, IHS breaks down silos and forges connections.
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Ideas
Higher Education Must Recommit to Its Enlightenment Roots
Emily Chamlee-Wright calls on universities to uphold Enlightenment values and resist political pressure in her Inside Higher Ed op-ed.
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Ideas
Civil Society: The Engine of Effective Problem-Solving
Civil society empowers local, voluntary problem-solving and protects freedom better than top-down government solutions.
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Ideas
The Legacy of David Boaz and the Rule of Law
In his tribute, Craig explores how Boaz’s appreciation for the rule of law informs the liberal perspective on current events.
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Ideas
Our Gutenberg Moment
In a thought-provoking essay, IHS President Emily Chamlee‑Wright argues that we stand on the verge of a modern “Gutenberg moment.”
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Updates
Ilya Somin Wins Major Victory Over Unconstitutional Tariffs
Among the law professionals working on the case was law professor Ilya Somin of George Mason University, a longtime friend of IHS.
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Ideas
Toleration and Pluralism: Living Together in Freedom
Toleration and pluralism are essential to liberty, enabling peaceful coexistence and strength through diversity.
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Ideas
Federalism as a Tool for Liberty
As IHS Fellow Andy Craig puts it, federalism can and should be used to “empower states to expand rights, not restrict them.”
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Ideas
El Salvador Deportation Scheme Threatens the Rule of Law
IHS Fellow Andy Craig argues that Donald Trump’s CECOT deportation policy defies due process, legal tradition, and constitutional principles.
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Ideas
Spontaneous Order: A Testament to Human Creativity and Adaptability
A look at spontaneous order and linguistic systems emerge organically through individual interactions, without centralized planning.
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Ideas
These Tariffs Are a Democratic Crisis
Emily Chamlee-Wright warns that unchecked tariff powers threaten democracy and call for restoring Congress’s trade authority.
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Ideas
What Erratic Government Does to a Country
In a sharp and timely piece for Persuasion, IHS President Emily Chamlee-Wright unpacks the economic and human toll of regime uncertainty.
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Ideas
Voluntary Action Drives Mutual Benefit and Societal Progress
Discover how voluntary action fosters mutual benefit and innovation. Learn why limiting coercive power is essential for human dignity.
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Ideas
The Power of Economic Freedom
Economic freedom allows for innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of new ideas, which collectively foster prosperity and human flourishing.
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Ideas
The Horseshoe Politics of Higher Education
Matt Kuchem’s latest in The Dispatch explores how both progressive and conservative elites are mirroring each other's illiberal tactics.
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Ideas
A Liberalism Without Apology or Fear
Andy Craig writes in The UnPopulist: A Liberalism Without Apology, a compelling defense of radical liberalism and free speech.
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Ideas
Saving the Constitution from Itself
IHS Fellow Andy Craig examines the structural challenges posed by the US Constitution and argues for thoughtful reforms.
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Ideas
Human Dignity: The Cornerstone of Classical Liberalism
Human dignity—the cornerstone of classical liberalism—is the simple, profound notion that every person possesses inherent worth.
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Updates
2024 IHS Research Award Winners: Advancing Scholarship for a Free Society
IHS Fellow Andy Craig explains the truth behind the rising prices of cars and homes—and why liberals must oppose market interference.
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Ideas
On 'Disagreement' and the Presidential Power to Adjourn Congress
Recent maneuvering raises questions about the presidential power to adjourn Congress. Andy Craig explores the nuances of this power.
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Ideas
Liberals Must Wage War on Rent-Seeking
IHS Fellow Andy Craig explains the truth behind the rising prices of cars and homes—and why liberals must oppose market interference.
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Ideas
Clarifying the Possibility of a Contingent Election Under the Twelfth Amendment
IHS Fellow Andy Craig breaks down the misconceptions about how and when a contingent election could happen.
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Ideas
There Is No Liberalism Without a Healthy Democracy
Andy Craig, an IHS fellow, delves into how the structural weaknesses of liberal democracies contribute to anti-democratic movements.
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Ideas
The Electoral Count Reform Act: Securing America's Presidential Elections
IHS Fellow Andy Craig's analysis of the Electoral Count Reform Act and its potential impacts on the upcoming presidential election.
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Ideas
The Ethics of Political Participation
IHS Fellow Andy Craig talks the ethics of politics on the ReImagining Liberty podcast. Listen to the full episode now!
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Ideas
Curbing the Campus Culture Wars
IHS Director of Outreach Matthew Kuchem writes in The Dispatch about the campus culture wars and the state of free speech in universities.
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Ideas
We Still Need Professors with Good Ideas
Emily Chamlee-Wright and Ryan Stowers collaborated on a recent article for Forbes highlighting the importance of professors and their impact.
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Updates
Michael C. Munger and Siri Terjesen Named 2023 IHS Fellows
IHS names Professors Michael C. Munger and Siri Terjesen as Distinguished Fellows for the Study of Liberalism and a Free Society.
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Updates
Remembering Walter Grinder
IHS mourns the passing of Walter Grinder and we are grateful for his seventeen years of service to the organization.
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Updates
IHS Board of Directors Celebrates Art Pope and Welcomes Ryan Stowers as New Chairman
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) extends its gratitude to Chairman of the Board, Art Pope, as Ryan Stowers succeeds him in the role.
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Ideas
The Four Corners of Liberalism
IHS President and CEO, Dr. Emily Chamlee-Wright, illustrates the Four Corners of Liberalism and how they foster a better society.
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Ideas
A Conversation with George Will on Liberalism and Conservatism
In a recent discussion, George Will spoke about his book "The Conservative Sensibility" with IHS President and CEO Emily Chamlee-Wright.
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Ideas
The Conversations of a Self-Governing People
IHS president featured in Kettering Foundation and Knight Foundation project: “Democracy and Civic Life.” One of 18 essays to be featured.
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Ideas
Jonathan Haidt on the Coddling of the American Mind
In his talk at UCCS, Jonathan Haidt explains three of the six causes of the emergence of a new culture known as "safetyism."
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