Saturday, March 7, 2009

IHS Summer Seminars

I did one of these seminars run by the Institute for Humane Studies back in my college days and really enjoyed it. The lectures are "classical liberal" types but the discussion is open and engaged. It is sort of a week-long dorm room bull session and so great fun for all concerned.

My recollection is that I most enjoyed the discussions of foreign policy which was what I knew the least about at the time. There was also lots of discussion of the anarchist versus minarchist positions and of the relative virtues of rights-based versus rule-utilitarian views.

Maybe someday IHS will ask me to lecture. More worrisome is the potential that they may ask me to review applications (as they would be quite justified in doing, having given me fellowships back in my gradual student days).