We teach the principles of liberty that colleges won't. Follow to learn the true meaning of freedom and equality.
Defending Western Tradition
Joined August 2009
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Has free trade destroyed America?
@JuliusKrein and @PhilWMagness debate whether globalization has hollowed out American industry and weakened national security, or whether free trade remains essential to American prosperity.
Moderated by @sarahhgustafson.
Watch the full "Fault Lines" debate 👇
(0:00) Opening Remarks
(0:58) Debate Introduction & Resolution
(1:19) Julius Krein: Neoliberalism's Policy Mistakes
(6:53) Financial Markets & Chronic Trade Deficits
(9:47) Phil Magness: Reagan Tax Cuts & the Inequality Myth
(12:46) Deficits: Reagan, Bush, and the Clinton Exception
(14:43) The $40 Trillion Debt Problem
(20:52) The China Shock & Rust Belt Labor Shifts
(34:41) Tariffs: Trump's Liberation Day & Historical Echoes
(49:08) Reindustrialization & the Post-COVID Economy
(1:05:36) Culture, Commerce, and Morality
(1:11:43) Closing Statements
Intercollegiate Studies Institute retweeted
Applications for our internships and fellowships are now up on our site.
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Intercollegiate Studies Institute retweeted
@ThinkerChicago posted a clip of Sen. Elissa Slotkin calling for the prosecution of young Republican staffers as a way to dissuade them from pursuing careers in government and conservative work.
Her remarks likely would have gone unnoticed without The Thinker’s reporting.
Since the clip went up, multiple senators and members of Congress have condemned the comments as abhorrent.
ON UCHICAGO CAMPUS: U.S. Senator from Michigan Elissa Slotkin hopes planned political prosecutions of republican leaders will scare young conservatives from getting involved in politics.
@ElissaSlotkin
ISI is proud to be a host partner of The Forum 2026, where the conservative movement comes together to discuss the ideas, policies, and strategies that will shape America’s future.
Nov. 10-12 | National Harbor, MD
Register with code TFISI
What did Genghis Khan have to do with Christopher Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic?
At the University of Dallas's annual Columbus Day Lecture, James Bell explored the historical forces that shaped Columbus's voyage in "Columbus in the Shadow of Genghis Khan."
ISI was proud to sponsor this opportunity for students to study the origins of Western Civilization!
In just two weeks, ISI will welcome renowned legal scholar @JonathanTurley to our Wilmington campus.
Join us on Wednesday, October 28, for a reception, keynote, and Q&A, followed by a signing of his New York Times bestseller, Rage and the Republic.
Under 35? Save $50 with code UNDER35.
Seats are going fast:
🎟️ isi.org/event/an-evening-wit…
Has Big Tech Actually Made Free Speech Better?
@robbysoave argues that social media and independent platforms have created a flourishing of political speech.
@SohrabAhmari pushes back: concentrating major media platforms in a few hands is still “an enormous amount of power.”
ISI is pleased to welcome renowned legal scholar @JonathanTurley to our Wilmington campus on October 28.
Join us for an evening of conversation on the state of the American experiment and what's at stake for the country ahead of the midterms.
Space is limited. Reserve your seat today:
🎟️ isi.org/event/an-evening-wit…
Do Big Tech companies have too much power over ordinary Americans?
@SohrabAhmari argues that Americans have lost the institutions that once gave them leverage against concentrated corporate power.
@robbysoave pushes back: Big Tech has expanded our choices, and today’s dominant platform may be irrelevant tomorrow.
Are oligarchs running America?
@SohrabAhmari and @robbysoave debate whether concentrated wealth and corporate power have undermined American democracy, or whether America’s supposed “oligarchs” are simply successful entrepreneurs competing for influence.
Moderated by @LeahLibresco.
Watch the full "Fault Lines" debate 👇
(0:00) Intro
(0:45) Has Oligarchy Destroyed American Democracy?
(1:32) Sohrab Ahmari: The Case Against Oligarchy
(7:23) Robby Soave: The Case Against the Oligarchy Thesis
(11:33) Are Oligarchs Running America?
(37:28) Corporate Power & Market Oligopolies
(56:54) Crypto, Money & Elections
(1:06:54) AI & the Concentration of Power
(1:16:28) Closing Statements
(1:27:24) End
Do America’s allies actually make it stronger?
@CurtMills argues that alliances like NATO expand Washington’s ability to project power abroad without necessarily benefiting ordinary Americans.
@Phillip_Blond argues the opposite: the more America retreats from its alliances, the more its power and economic position are diminished.
Watch their exchange from "Fault Lines" 👇
This past weekend, ISI students gathered at the Tepeyac Retreat Center for a weekend seminar exploring “The Moral Imagination in the Modern Age: Flannery O’Connor and Russell Kirk on Storytelling.”
Led by professors Andrew Mitchell of Grove City College and Jerome C. Foss of Saint Vincent College, students spent the weekend reading and discussing the works of O’Connor and Kirk and considering the role of storytelling and the moral imagination in shaping how we understand the world.
The beautiful grounds located outside Pittsburgh, PA provided a fitting setting for a weekend of learning, fellowship, and fun. Between seminars, students enjoyed reading outdoors, playing football, and continuing conversations beyond the seminar room.
Here are a few moments from the weekend!
Is empire really the problem?
@CurtMills argues that America’s wars and overseas commitments have distracted its leaders from the well-being of ordinary Americans.
@Phillip_Blond agrees with much of the diagnosis but argues the real problem isn’t empire. It’s liberal hegemony.
Watch their full exchange from "Fault Lines" 👇
We’re excited to welcome William Hamant to the ISI team!
William joins ISI as our new Director of Programs, bringing extensive experience in higher education, teaching, and student formation. He has served as Director of Campus Ministry and Catechesis at St. Thomas More Oratory at the University of Delaware and as an Assistant Professor of Theology at DeSales University. Most recently, he served as Managing Editor of Communio: International Catholic Review.
William holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute at The Catholic University of America, as well as degrees from the University of Dayton and the University of St. Thomas.
We’re thrilled to have William on board and look forward to all he’ll bring to ISI and our student programs. Please join us in welcoming him!
Intercollegiate Studies Institute retweeted
I am honored and humbled to be chosen as the next President of ISI, and am deeply grateful to the Board for the opportunity to lead an institution that shaped my own education and vocation. I look forward to carrying on ISI's vital mission in the years to come.
I am also profoundly grateful to Archbishop Cordileone and the Archdiocese of San Francisco for these years spent advancing the mission of Catholic education in the Bay Area. It has been a blessing and a privilege.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute is proud to announce the appointment of Christopher Fisher as the next President of ISI.
Chris returns to ISI after 12 years, having previously served here in both programs and digital media roles.
He brings more than a decade of experience leading educational programs for students and teachers alike. Most recently he served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Before his work in San Francisco, Chris concluded a decade of leadership at Portsmouth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and independent Catholic boarding school in Rhode Island, where he served as Executive Director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture and taught in the school's Humanities program, grounding students in the great texts of the Western tradition.
Chris's deep commitment to the enduring ideas of the Western tradition, his record of institutional leadership, and his passion for forming the next generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead ISI into its next chapter.
Please join us in welcoming @CFrancisFisher back to the ISI family. We look forward to his leadership as ISI continues its longstanding tradition of educating for liberty.
“Fault Lines” came to Villanova! Students gathered for a watch party of our latest debate, featuring @CurtMills and @Phillip_Blond on the resolution: “Empire Is Bad for America.” It was a great evening of students engaging with competing ideas about American power, foreign policy, and the role of empire in the modern world.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute is proud to announce the appointment of Christopher Fisher as the next President of ISI.
Chris returns to ISI after 12 years, having previously served here in both programs and digital media roles.
He brings more than a decade of experience leading educational programs for students and teachers alike. Most recently he served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Before his work in San Francisco, Chris concluded a decade of leadership at Portsmouth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and independent Catholic boarding school in Rhode Island, where he served as Executive Director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture and taught in the school's Humanities program, grounding students in the great texts of the Western tradition.
Chris's deep commitment to the enduring ideas of the Western tradition, his record of institutional leadership, and his passion for forming the next generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead ISI into its next chapter.
Please join us in welcoming @CFrancisFisher back to the ISI family. We look forward to his leadership as ISI continues its longstanding tradition of educating for liberty.