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Vladimir Putin lectures Tucker Carlson on his alternative "history"
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 and debunk some of the bogus justifications put forth by the fascist regime in Moscow and Putin’s alternative “history” that he uses in his attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian nation. The two main reasons for the war are plain to see: An authoritarian dictator, facing numerous domestic issues, sought to unify the Russian public against the imaginary threat of a belligerent, Western-backed, “Nazi” regime on their doorstep. The

Since they first seized power, Soviet leaders have claimed their “democracy” to be the best in history. However, their understanding of democracy differs significantly from that of the United States and other Western nations. This second piece of a series addressing myths about the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) will focus on the country’s strange legacy on democracy and minority rights.
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

To find out why college is so expensive and why student debt has reached crisis point, we need to dig deep into a maze of factors that ultimately leave the government with a lot to answer for.
Debt

Why is college so expensive?

Ever wondered why the price of college feels like it's on a perpetual escalator to the heavens? Well, you're not alone. The soaring costs of higher education

All Learn Liberty Blog Posts

Uncategorized

Discussion Lending: Payday Lending

Payday lenders usually give out money in hours or less, but require as much as 3000% interest on repayments. Does the government have a responsibility to protect their citizens from payday lenders? What are the economic effects of outlawing loans with high interest rates?

Uncategorized

War, What is it Good For?

Free market defenders are often great at pointing out the unintended consequences of U.S. government intervention in the economy. But they often overlook the unintended consequences of U.S. government intervention abroad. As the War on Terror escalates in the wake of the recent ISIS terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, it’s important to remember […]

Education

Trivia: Did you know this about Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales?

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, was influenced Friedrich Hayek’s essay, “The Use of Knowledge in Society” which argues that information is decentralized. You know it’s true, because it says so on Wikipedia, but if you’re looking for other sources, it’s corroborated by this New Yorker article, and Wales even went on EconTalk with Russ Roberts […]

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Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day, a day when we commemorate the respect for individual rights, which are largely responsible for the human flourishing enjoyed in recent centuries. In the U.S., human rights are enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They guarantee basic rights like freedom of expression, self-defense, and due process. Historically, […]

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Stupid Alcohol Laws Give Festive Season a Hangover

The festive season is underway and for many people that means an increased consumption of alcohol. Staff holiday parties, friends’ Christmas parties, and — of course — New Year’s Eve are all classic occasions to knock back a few drinks and celebrate the season. But as professor Antony Davies explains in the video below, many […]

Education

South Park Skewers Political Correctness

Today is the season finale of South Park, which has lampooned political correctness this season. From “PC Principal” to “Shitipatown,” South Park showcases – in the words of Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III – “the tyranny of political correctness.” This tyranny manifests itself in the stifling of unpopular and un-PC free expression. Recently, this […]

Uncategorized

President Obama Takes America Back to War in Iraq

The following post originally appeared on the Cato blog on December 2nd, 2015. The following is an excerpt. Head over to Cato for the whole post. U.S. military personnel are heading to Iraq and Syria. The administration continues its slow progression to renewed ground combat. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter informed Congress that a “specialized expeditionary […]

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Intern with us!

It’s that time again: time to send out your applications for spring internships! So why not intern with us this spring? Learn Liberty is a project of the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS). Beyond the online videos, programs, and more that Learn Liberty provides, IHS helps students learn more about and spread the ideas of […]

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Appeals Court Rules Free Speech Trumps Moral Busybody Sheriff

The following blog post by Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute originally appeared on Cato’s blog on December 1st, 2015. Read an excerpt below. Backpage offers 11 categories of ads, primarily facilitating mundane transactions like used-lawnmower sales and vacation rentals but also with an “adult” section broken down into titillating subcategories such as “dom[ination] & […]

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Staff Profile: Cassie Whalen

Learn Liberty: First, when did you join the Learn Liberty team and what is your role? Cassie Whalen: I joined the Learn Liberty team in September of 2014 as an intern, but I loved working here so much that I didn’t want to leave. Luckily I got hired, so now I write for various Learn […]

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Douglass North and Ridesharing

In the wake of his passing, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the contributions of my mentor Douglass C. North (Nobel Prize winner in 1993). In the last few months, I have been thinking especially about how we can understand debates about innovations like “Big Box” retail and ridesharing in light of some […]

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Getting to Know the Gender Gap

We take a trip down memory lane to look at one of our older and perhaps more controversial videos, where we tackle the question of the wage gap. Take a look at the video and let us know what you think.

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Quote of the Day

Mary Wollstonecraft was a prominent figure in the first wave American feminist movement and most famously known for her very libertarian text, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” For a more in depth look into Wollstonecraft and her contemporaries be sure to check out our On Demand program on Feminism!

Education

The War on Yoga

Free expression is under attack on college campuses. Last month, there was an uproar over – of all things – Halloween costumes at Yale. Now, it’s a war on yoga. The University of Ottawa recently decided to ban a free yoga class because of worries over “cultural appropriation” – the PC term du jour referencing […]

Government

We should DO something!

Shamans knew they could bend the credulous to their will (and make a boatload of money) if the shaman could predict something like a storm, or an eclipse. “This very evening, the Night Wolf will devour the Moon Virgin! But if you pay me many coins of silver, I will force Night Wolf to cough […]

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Featured On Demand Program of the Week: Feminism – A New Perspective

From gaining the rights to vote and to own property to contemporary issues like wage gaps and slut shaming, feminism has been a topic of debate for decades. Some argue that the best way to give women equal rights and opportunities is to enact government policies which mandate the equal treatment of women, or affirmative […]

Economics

Save the Date – Buchanan Speaker Series: Education, Inequality, and Incentives

Join the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics on Thursday December 10th from 4:30-6pm for the inaugural event in the Buchanan Speaker Series featuring Roland G. Fryor, the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and faculty director of the Education Innovation Laboratory. Fryor’s current research focuses on education reform, […]

Voting

Discussion Question: Democracy

Some decisions, such as the selection of a government representative, are made by democratic means. However, decisions like which religion to follow are left to each person to choose for herself. Which decisions should be made by a democracy, and which decisions should be made by the individual. When should society make the distinction between […]

Education

Free Books on Free Markets

Looking to learn more about Austrian economics, libertarianism, or classical liberal thought? The Mises Institute (named for famed Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, author of Human Action) offers a huge online library of books, journal articles, and other writings on a range of topics related to Austrian economics and classical liberalism. Here are just a […]

Uncategorized

Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and the Economy: The Economics of Black Friday Sales

As the holiday season begins, you might be getting a lot of emails about Black Friday sales. Over time, the store openings for many retailers on Black Friday has been getting earlier and earlier, even to the point of stores opening on Thanksgiving. Check out the chart below for opening hours over time for some […]

Uncategorized

What is the total number of federal laws on the books? Hint: Googling won’t help.

That’s because nobody has been able to count the total number of federal laws on the books. A post at the Library of Congress’s blog put it this way: At the reference desk, we are frequently asked to estimate the number of federal laws in force. However, trying to tally this number is nearly impossible. […]

Education

Free Speech and Central Funding

Controversies surrounding the funding of college publications with student fees illustrate some important difficulties when it comes to the funding and activities of the federal government. Wesleyan University’s student government cut funding for the campus newspaper in the wake of an op-ed critical of the Black Lives Matter movement. The University of California at San […]

Uncategorized

Do States Have the Power to Bar Syrian Refugees?

The following post by Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University School of Law, appeared at the Volokh Conspiracy on November 25, 2015. Below is an excerpt. Do they have the legal authority to do so? Under current Supreme Court precedent, the answer is a clear “no,” though things might be different under the […]

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Don Boudreaux on a Good Economics 101 Course

This post originally appeared on Don Boudreaux’s blog Cafe Hayek on November 25th, 2015. Below is an excerpt: But a well-taught principles course – a course taught, for example, by the likes of Deirdre McCloskey, by my colleague Walter Williams, by Dwight Lee, or by the late Armen Alchian – is one that teaches, and […]