Mitch Mitchell and the Pool That Was Never Finished

In 1989, Mitch Mitchell spent a summer in East Germany building a municipal swimming pool that nobody expected to be built. Today he studies the rules that decide who is allowed to practice medicine in America.

CivicsMind: An AI Civics Tutor That Answers from Its Sources and Cites Them

The Institute for Humane Studies has launched CivicsMind, a free AI civics platform at CivicsMind.ai. It answers questions about the Constitution and the workings of American government from a fixed library of sources—founding documents first—and it cites them.

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera: Ten Minutes from Matamoros

In 2009, Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera took her first faculty job in Brownsville, Texas—a ten-minute walk from the birthplace of Mexico's most violent cartel. Today she studies the markets that borders create.

It Sounds Like They're Talking About You, David Schmidtz

David Schmidtz spent five years delivering mail in Calgary, Alberta, before a professor told him he had a spark. Forty years later, he is a chaired professor who helped build the field of philosophy, politics, and economics. It almost didn't happen.

IHS Funds Research on Three Questions a Free Society Can't Take for Granted

What Conservative Americans Are Actually Saying About Democracy

Classical Liberal Mind: Conversations with 29 Architects of the Free Society

The Institute for Humane Studies has launched Classical Liberal Mind, a free AI platform that lets students, educators, and curious readers carry on conversations with 29 of the thinkers whose work built the modern liberal tradition.

Flourishing House: A Day-Long Conversation on Dynamism

The common thread across the day was what it takes to keep a society capable of moving—capable of producing the buildings, the medicines, the technologies that don't yet exist.

IHS Opens Research Funding on Cost of Living, Digital Governance, and Nuclear Energy

The System Has to Become Worthy of Trust

Sarah Burns on Congress, War Powers, and the Constitution

Sarah Burns says that Congress must decide whether it wants to struggle or remain in the president's shadow.

Today, IHS Is Beginning a New Chapter

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Rules Matter More Than Rulers

Democracy’s survival depends less on electing "better rulers" and more on building constitutional limits on presidential power.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Civil Society: The Engine of Effective Problem-Solving

Civil society empowers local, voluntary problem-solving and protects freedom better than top-down government solutions.

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.

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.”

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.

Toleration and Pluralism: Living Together in Freedom

Toleration and pluralism are essential to liberty, enabling peaceful coexistence and strength through diversity.

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.”

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.

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.

These Tariffs Are a Democratic Crisis

Emily Chamlee-Wright warns that unchecked tariff powers threaten democracy and call for restoring Congress’s trade authority.

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.

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.

The Power of Economic Freedom

Economic freedom allows for innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of new ideas, which collectively foster prosperity and human flourishing.

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.

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.

Saving the Constitution from Itself

IHS Fellow Andy Craig examines the structural challenges posed by the US Constitution and argues for thoughtful reforms.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Remembering Walter Grinder

IHS mourns the passing of Walter Grinder and we are grateful for his seventeen years of service to the organization.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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."