The Witherspoon Institute

The Witherspoon Institute An independent research center that works to enhance public understanding of free societies

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Institute promotes the application of fundamental principles of republican government and ordered liberty to contemporary problems. In light of this purpose, the Institute has a special interest in higher education and the formation of the next generation of scholars. The Witherspoon Institute carries out its educational mission through the scholarly work of t

he Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution and the Center on Ethics and the University. These two centers provide opportunities to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to examine the moral foundations of political, philosophical, and social thought, and assist leading scholars in performing rigorous scholarship, often from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Witherspoon Institute carries out research through six Research Programs focused on the actors and institutions of modern society: the individual, the family, the corporation, the university, and the state. Fellows of the Institute are faculty members of the leading liberal arts colleges and research universities of North America, Africa, and Europe, and are selected both for their excellence in scholarship in areas of interest to the Institute and their commitment to teaching. The Institute provides funding to its fellows and affiliated scholars for their scholarly work. On occasion, the Institute will also provide funding to institutions of higher learning for large-scale, collaborative research projects. Please visit our funding page to read the Institute's policies for such research projects. The Institute is named for John Witherspoon, a leading member of the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the sixth president of Princeton University, and mentor to James Madison. As important as these credentials and his other accomplishments are, however, it is Witherspoon's commitment to liberal education and republican government that inspire this Institute's name.

05/20/2026

Learn more about our essay contest for high school juniors and seniors below!👇

First prize wins $3K and is published in Public Discourse

As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Witherspoon Institute’s Herbert W. V...
05/13/2026

As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Witherspoon Institute’s Herbert W. Vaughan Senior Fellow, Prof. Robert P. George, will reflect on the Declaration as America’s “promissory note” — a statement of principles the nation has never perfectly fulfilled, yet one that continues to call us toward justice, civic friendship, and the common good.

The lecture will be delivered at Stanford Law School’s Constitutional Law Center during its conference “The Declaration of Independence at 250,” taking place May 15–16.

Link below for more information.

This first Alumni Spotlight features three stories from Witherspoon alumni. We’ve gathered a handful of short reflection...
05/08/2026

This first Alumni Spotlight features three stories from Witherspoon alumni. We’ve gathered a handful of short reflections that capture moments that stayed with them long after their time in our programs. Together, they offer a small but illustrative glimpse into the Witherspoon formation, which unfolds slowly through conversation, friendship, and sustained attention.

Link below.

Hear from Dr. Ana Samuel, Academic Director at Cana Vox, for a meaningful evening of insight, conversation, and practica...
05/06/2026

Hear from Dr. Ana Samuel, Academic Director at Cana Vox, for a meaningful evening of insight, conversation, and practical guidance. This webinar is designed to equip parents to address today’s questions surrounding sexual identity and attraction with clarity and confidence.

Dr. Samuel will explore the cultural and ethical challenges facing both parents and children today. Drawing from CanaVox’s new book, Courageous Conversations, she will share how embracing truth, love, and natural law can lead to a flourishing life for people of any faith.

CanaVox is a global organization dedicated to advancing the natural law understanding of marriage, family, and human sexuality.

Link below.

Robert P. George, Witherspoon Institute's Herbert W. Vaughan Senior Fellow, will deliver the 2026 Frederic R. and Molly ...
03/31/2026

Robert P. George, Witherspoon Institute's Herbert W. Vaughan Senior Fellow, will deliver the 2026 Frederic R. and Molly S. Kellogg Biennial Lecture in Jurisprudence on the topic, “Why Liberal Secularism Fails.”

For more than half a century, the dominant theories of justice in the West have all been built on liberal secularism, codified by thinkers like John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin, and JĂĽrgen Habermas. But does this view give a coherent vision for how people with deep moral and religious differences can live together in peace?

Prof. George examines the limits of liberal secularism and proposes an alternative rooted in human dignity, civil liberty, and republican self-government.

Link in first comment.

Last Saturday evening, students traveled to Philadelphia for a cultural excursion to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra per...
03/26/2026

Last Saturday evening, students traveled to Philadelphia for a cultural excursion to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra perform works by Rachmaninoff and Schumann.

Experiences like this are at the heart of our programs: forming students not only through ideas, but through shared encounters with what is true, good, and beautiful.

03/25/2026

A new episode of Madison's Notes is out.

With Holy Week and Passover starting next week, host Ryan Shinkel interviewed R.J. Snell, the academic programs director at The Witherspoon Institute and editor-in-chief of Public Discourse, to talk about the philosophy of hope.

They discuss Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, the quest for re-enchantment in technology, politics, and culture, and examples of authentic hope, from Anglo-Saxon warriors to Soviet dissident writers, plus much more.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e3-the-philosophy-of-hope-on-immanence-and/id1515595812?i=1000757225010

What does it mean to live in an age of crisis, and are today’s apocalyptic warnings merely rhetorical, or signs of somet...
03/19/2026

What does it mean to live in an age of crisis, and are today’s apocalyptic warnings merely rhetorical, or signs of something deeper? In the second half of the semester, join us for Prophets of Doom, a Friday seminar led by R. J. Snell exploring Girard, Thiel, Kingsnorth, Turchin, and others on technology, culture, and the language of “end times.”

Open to Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary students. Lunch provided.

Learn more at the link below.

What does it take to resist temptation and live with discipline? In the second half of the semester, join us for a close...
03/17/2026

What does it take to resist temptation and live with discipline? In the second half of the semester, join us for a close reading of Plutarch and Prudentius on the formation of willpower, led by R. J. Snell.

Open to Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary students. Light breakfast provided.

Learn more at the link below.

Starting in one week, Dr. Elizabeth Corey will lead our final Witherspoon Forum seminar of the year, Rebuilding Civil So...
03/10/2026

Starting in one week, Dr. Elizabeth Corey will lead our final Witherspoon Forum seminar of the year, Rebuilding Civil Society.

It’s easy to see that civil society is not flourishing in many places today. This seminar invites students to think about how it might be renewed by strengthening the local institutions that sustain common life: churches, synagogues, schools, neighborhoods, and community organizations. Drawing on thinkers such as Roger Scruton and Robert Nisbet, students will explore the cultural and moral foundations of healthy communities and consider what it might take to rebuild them.

📚 Open to high school students in grades 10–12
đź’» Live on Zoom

Link in first comment.

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