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Civil Liberties
My Experience with Campus Climate at a Liberal Arts College
William F. Buckley famously authored God and Man at Yale in 1951. In it, he decried his alma mater’s overt efforts to undermine what he called good, American values such as faith, capitalism, and individualism. Today, I assert that institutions of higher schooling everywhere undermine — or fail to instill — other crucial values; values that underpin the very idea of higher education. In particular: appreciation for freedom of speech, academic freedom, open debate, and fearless, intellectual rigor. For more on freedom of speech, see Prof. Peter Jaworski’s Learn Liberty Video, The
History
Debunking Putin’s Alternative “History”
On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin commenced a brutal, full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Two years on from this calamity, let’s examine
Democracy and Voting
The Soviet Union’s terrible legacy on democracy and minority rights
From the series: Debunking Myths about the Soviet Union Since they first seized power, Soviet leaders have claimed their “democracy” to be
All Learn Liberty Blog Posts
Uncategorized
The Rise of Digital Humanitarians
Technology is putting humanitarianism on steroids. In the video below, digital humanitarians show how e-Nable, a global community of individuals who are using their 3D printers to create free 3D-printed hands and arms for those in need, is transforming the humanitarian community. Dr. Jon Schull, a professor at the University of Rochester and founder of […]
Uncategorized
How the Government Could Ruin Gaming
The government wants to mess with your gaming. Well, not directly. But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is messing with the internet, which could slow down your connection at the very moment you need it most. The video below explains: “Many Internet activists support an idea called net neutrality which is supposed to require companies […]
Civil Liberties
5 Misunderstandings Safe Space Advocates Have About Free Speech
April Fools! Learn Liberty is back in charge, and everything the Department of Careful Communications (DCC) said about censoring and redacting our content is moot. The DCC targeted us because it was worried that some of our communications might offend or misrepresent some people—or lead to confusion or disorder. Specifically, the DCC criticized: Our Speak […]
Civil Liberties
DCC Steps in to Correct Traumatic Effects of Learn Liberty’s Comments on Feminism
April Fools! Learn Liberty is back in charge, and everything the Department of Careful Communications (DCC) said about censoring and redacting our content is moot. Learn Liberty believes that the most effective way to challenge assumptions and refine ideas in a free society is to engage in respectful but frank dialogue—conversations in which we are […]
Uncategorized
How Entrepreneurship Provides a Helping Hand
For many, a “helping hand” is supposed to come from the government, especially when it comes to things related to health care. But innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship are proving that this is not always the case. In the video below, University of Rochester Professor and e-Nable founder Dr. Jon Schull shows how invention and crowdsourcing […]
Uncategorized
Efforts Redoubled to Stop Subversive Citizens Who Express Dissatisfaction with Government Health Care
April Fools! Learn Liberty is back in charge, and everything the Department of Careful Communications (DCC) said about censoring and redacting our content is moot. Learn Liberty believes that the most effective way to challenge assumptions and refine ideas in a free society is to engage in respectful but frank dialogue—conversations in which we are […]
Uncategorized
Learn Liberty to Become Safe Space
April Fools! Learn Liberty is back in charge, and everything the Department of Careful Communications (DCC) said about censoring and redacting our content is moot. Learn Liberty believes that the most effective way to challenge assumptions and refine ideas in a free society is to engage in respectful but frank dialogue—conversations in which we are […]
Uncategorized
Tax Season is Here: Don’t forget your oyster-related tax breaks
It’s March, which means the deadline to pay your taxes is just around the corner. That makes it a great time to reflect on the complexity, and sometimes the absurdity, of the U.S. tax code. The federal tax system alone is over 10 million words long, and each state has a tax code with its […]
Uncategorized
President Obama Visits Cuba, Promotes Freedom
This month, President Obama visited Cuba, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so since 1959. The President has been criticized for normalizing the U.S. relationship with Cuba, in light of the country’s Communist regime and human rights abuses. That list of abuses, according to a 2015 report by Human Rights Watch, includes arbitrary […]
Uncategorized
Taxation is Theft: A Case Study in Memes
Recently the hearts and minds of internet users have been captivated by a simple yet radical sentiment expressed in meme form. Step aside “taxation without representation,” there’s a new taxation meme in town: Taxation is Theft. The following are the best taxation is theft memes we here at Learn Liberty have come across so far. […]
Uncategorized
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: Sexonomics
Do you feel like you’re looking for love in all the wrong places? Are you sick and tired of swiping to the left, when all you want is a few good swipes to the right? You have a great personality. You’re smart, and gainfully employed. You’re also incredibly good-looking and even bathe daily — twice […]
Uncategorized
All McDonald's Hamburgers Taste the Same, But You'll Need a Crash Course in Economics to Know Why
Markets can be regulated by the figurative force of competition or by the literal force of government. Which better protects buyers and sellers? Contrary to popular belief, regulation by competition usually renders regulation by government either unnecessary or counterproductive. Regulations are usually presented to the public as a matter of guarding the public interest and […]
Uncategorized
Tiny Sombreros and Even Smaller Free Expression Protections
Two members of the student government at Bowdoin College faced impeachment proceedings for committing an “act of ethnic stereotyping” because they attended a party where some guests wore tiny sombreros. It’s the kind of story that will make you want to reach for the tequila. But it’s also one that is unfortunately all too common […]
Education
Social Justice Warriors Need Free Speech
Advocates of social justice have actively fought against free expression in recent years because of the alleged negative emotional impact it can have on marginalized people. In their effort to stifle speech they disagree with, they’ve called for the imposition of trigger warnings and safe spaces, as though they have a right to not be […]
Uncategorized
Frontier Mentality Necessary to Fix Health Care
For decades, the debate around health care has centered on access. No question access to health care is important. But this focus has ignored — and come at the expense of — topics that are much more important, namely quality and price. In the video below, Robert Graboyes, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, […]
Uncategorized
March Madness: Liberty Edition
Liberty lovers have another bracket to fill out and obsess over this March. The Institute for Humane Studies is hosting its own version of March Madness, featuring the top thinkers of the liberty movement. The competitors represent four quadrants of liberty thought: Nobel Prize winners, classical thinkers, Austrian Economists, and radical thinkers. Vote for your […]
Education
Free Speech and Censorship: No Swastikas for The Producers
Reason reported last week that a high school production of The Producers has been forbidden from using swastikas: The New York school district that oversees Tappan Zee High School considers the inclusion of a swastika to be offensive and, possibly, a hate crime—regardless of the context. “There is no context in a public high school […]
Uncategorized
Has Obamacare Worked?
Has the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, worked? It’s a difficult question to answer given that there is so much politicking around the issue. In the new Learn Liberty video below, Duquesne University Professor Antony Davies cuts through the politics to give an honest assessment of the law’s performance. “Politicians promised that the […]
Voting
The 2016 Election and the Folly of a Brilliant President
Professor Barry Brownstein has written an excellent piece for the Foundation for Economic Education, titled “The Last Thing We Need Is a Brilliant President.” He writes that in the midst of America’s current race for the White House, people are promoting the brilliance of their preferred candidates, arguing that the right leader will help get […]
Voting
Why Do All Politicians Sound The Same?
Ever wonder why presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump sound so similar despite being from different political parties? Both rail against free trade, the establishment, and harken back to a mythical time in the country when there was a chicken in every pot and an American manufacturing every product we use. In the video […]
Uncategorized
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: Capitalism vs. Socialism
You hear the words “socialism” and “capitalism” thrown around a lot, but what do they really mean? And what are the pros and cons of each system? In this special On Demand program, we take an honest look at these concepts and explore the practical and philosophical issues behind them. Is socialism a fairer system […]
Uncategorized
25 Percent of Obamacare Enrollees Dumped Their Plans in 2015
A report released last Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed that the number of Obamacare enrollees fell to 8.8 million last year, down from 11.1 million who signed up. That’s a 25 percent decline. It’s a big deal, and it’s a pattern that is very likely to repeat in 2016. While […]
Uncategorized
How to Talk About Politics Without Sounding Like a Jerk
A lot of people – especially the kind of people who read blogs like this! – have very strong views about politics. This is especially true when our political views are based on moral views. If we think that universal health care is a good idea because we think it’s likely to result in more […]