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Our Mission

Rooted in the classical liberal tradition, the Institute for Humane Studies is a nonprofit organization that supports the achievement of a freer and more humane society by connecting and supporting talented graduate students, scholars, and other intellectuals who are driving progress in the critical conversations shaping the 21st century.

We believe the great creative force of freedom is essential to the expansion of knowledge, cultural pluralism, and economic betterment. We believe that ideas within the classical liberal tradition serve as the foundation for the good society, tolerant and pluralistic society in which individuals and communities thrive in a context of peace, prosperity, and mutual respect.

Through scholarly convenings and support for research, teaching and publication, IHS is growing and connecting a community of scholars who advance a deeper understanding of classical liberal ideas in the academic, policy, and the key conversations and challenges facing intellectual discourse today. By connecting professors and students who might otherwise be separated by discipline, region, or ideology, and by supporting their work with grants and other resources, we ensure classical liberal ideas are contributing positively to discourse relevant to a free society.

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