Category:Civil Liberties

April 1, 2016 | Post

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 […]

February 9, 2016 | Post

January 27, 2016 | Post

Gun control is a topic which never fails to inspire heated debate. In addition to the vehement passion of groups which support or oppose gun control, conversations about restrictions on gun ownership are further complicated by a lack of agreement and understanding of gun vocabulary. Dan Bier at the Foundation for Economic Education explains: “But […]

November 27, 2015 | Video

The world was deeply saddened by recent attacks on Paris. France has responded by declaring a state of emergency at home, and has increased its bombing of ISIS-held territory abroad.

November 26, 2015 | Video

What do equal dignity and equal inventiveness mean for the trans community? Professor Deirdre McCloskey joins us for the last episode of Trans Talks.

November 19, 2015 | Video

What is the solution to transgender violence? Do we try and change the way the state approaches trans people? Do we try to have more cultural understanding? Professor Deirde McCloskey joins us to discuss what changes need to be made and changing our hearts for the transgender community. Click here to watch Episode 1, and […]

November 12, 2015 | Video

What does it mean to be transgender, and why is it so important for individuals in a free society to be able to express themselves as they are? Professor Deirdre McCloskey joins us to discuss the role trans people can play in turning hearts and minds toward freedom. This is the first episode of our […]

November 10, 2015 | Video

Why is it important in a free society to allow people to explore their gender identity? In Learn Liberty’s three-part Trans Talks series, we interviewed award-winning economist Professor Deirdre McCloskey. Stay tuned for the first video of the series, to be released November 12th, 2015.

November 3, 2015 | Post

This quote is taken from Lysander Spooner’s, “An Essay on the Trial by Jury,” published in 1852. Jury nullification, according to Spooner, was a final bulwark against encroachments from the state on individual liberty. Spooner argued in this essay that the role of the jury is not only to rule on the facts of the […]

October 29, 2015 | Post

This post originally appeared on FEE.org on July 8th, 2015. Below is an excerpt. In the early days, the Internet was thoroughly insecure; its governmental and academic users trusted each other, and the occasional student prank couldn’t cause much damage. As it started becoming available to everyone in the early ‘90s, people saw the huge […]

October 26, 2015 | Post

Learn Liberty On Demand offers you a series of videos on new and exciting topics in the world of policy and ideas that you can watch any time, anywhere, on your schedule. Have you ever wondered if Free Speech has its limits? Well, this is the place for you. You’ve got freedom of speech, but […]

October 20, 2015 | Post

Venezuela’s condition continues to deteriorate, with opposition leaders imprisoned and elections allegedly rigged, the situation looks like it will not change anytime soon. This brings up the question, when are societies justified to rise up in a violent manner against government? Check out this short Learn Liberty video and let us know what you think […]

October 19, 2015 | Post

A “Second Snowden” leaked a cache of secret documents that has put the CIA’s and United States military’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) back into the spotlight. Drones have been used post-9/11 to carry out lethal strikes on those deemed enemies of the United States – even if the strikes take place outside of […]

October 16, 2015 | Post

Few people will say they are anti-liberty, so what makes the libertarian commitment to liberty stand out from the crowd? We teamed up with Students For Liberty to explain the basics of libertarian philosophy, law, and economics in our new On Demand program, Liberty 101. Check out the first video below. For more videos just […]

October 15, 2015 | Post

This excellent post by Bryan Caplan, professor of economics at George Mason University, was originally featured at OpenBorders in January of 2013. Below is an excerpt. I changed my mind about proper immigration policy in my senior year of high school. The impetus, as usual for me, was not first-hand experience, but abstract argument. After […]

October 15, 2015 | Post

Increasingly, the expectation of rigorous debate and discussion on controversial topics has diminished on college campuses across the nation. Students are now more content or even encouraged to coast through higher education without having to encounter beliefs or opinions that offend their preconceived notions about the world. Students are treating the college experience as less […]

October 14, 2015 | Post

Libertarians have a unique perspective on how government force should be used. As Jeff Miron, Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University, points out in this video, libertarians consider using government force to coerce others into action to be immoral. This is what separates them from other philosophies which are more permissive when it comes […]

October 14, 2015 | Post

Today’s quote is brought to you by none other than F.A. Hayek from his book The Constitution of Liberty: “If one objects to the use of coercion in order to bring about a more even or more just distribution, this does not mean that one does not regard these as desirable. But if we wish […]

July 2, 2015 | Video

Does NSA surveillance go too far? What is the right balance between homeland security and privacy protection? What are the true costs to our freedom and personal liberties? These are the controversial questions at the core of the biggest challenge to our sense of privacy in the 21st Century. This video is just a preview […]

January 27, 2015 | Video

Should we be scared of the NSA? Are they watching what we do online? Ronald Sievert of Texas A&M says that we shouldn’t worry. He argues that the portion of data they collect is small, but vital to our national security in a post-9/11 world. He also argues that the legal system has checks and […]

November 18, 2014 | Video

In the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen becomes the Mockingjay–a symbol of hope and rebellion for the people of Panem. In today’s world, where new technology enables government surveillance and censorship, citizens are able to fight back by using that same technology to organize and rebel against abuse of power. Both in the fictional dystopia of […]

August 26, 2014 | Video

You’re at a party. The police show up. The next thing you know, a cop is asking to see your cell phone. What do you do? If you don’t know your rights, you could be putting yourself – and your future – at risk. In this must-see video, Professor Josh Blackman details the ways in […]

March 13, 2014 | Video

Edward Snowden’s leaks of National Security Agency (NSA) methods has sparked a national debate about the legality of such surveillance. This program, led by a constitutional law professor, joined by national security experts from across the political spectrum, will focus on the legality of surveillance. The program will explore the meaning of individual privacy, its […]

September 12, 2013 | Video

Many Americans do not know what their constitutional freedoms are or why they were established in the first place. The freedoms Americans have are rare and fragile. They were put in place to protect people and ensure our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Professor James Otteson explains the importance of the […]