Witherspoon Institute

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Witherspoon Institute believes that cultural reform begins with the intellectual and moral formation of the human person. To that end, Witherspoon’s programs encourage the formation of individuals who can seek truth, live ethically, and develop genuine intellectual friendship across their differences. Witherspoon facilitates rigorous study of classical intellectual traditions, constructive engagement with contemporary cultural issues, and serious reflection on life’s fundamental philosophical questions. In this way, Witherspoon enables students and cultural leaders to embrace their responsibility as free moral agents to decide how best to lead lives of service and meaning.

Recognizing that culture is formed at different levels, the Witherspoon Institute carries out its mission within three contexts: education, public affairs, and family life. In education, Witherspoon provides academic programming for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to examine the moral foundations of political, philosophical, and social thought. In public affairs, Witherspoon’s online journal, Public Discourse, publishes daily essays to foster constructive discussions about the five pillars of a decent and dynamic society: respect for the dignity of the human person, the family, the rule of law, the university, and business. Regarding family life, Witherspoon sponsors a grassroots marriage movement, CanaVox, which offers reading groups to friends who support the historical understanding of marriage and human sexuality.