Institute for Ethics & the Common Good

The rare permission to slow down

In a time defined by rapid change and polarized viewpoints, the Institute offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to slow down and think deeply. More than an advanced course sequence, it is a community of scholars committed to thoughtful inquiry and meaningful dialogue, where students learn to analyze arguments, weigh competing perspectives, and articulate their ideas with clarity and nuance.

The program emphasizes active participation, respectful dialogue, and the development of independent, well-reasoned thinking.

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THE ARGUMENTS THEMSELVES

The Institute does not survey ideas from a safe distance. It stages the arguments. Students read Plato against Aristotle, Confucius against Buddha, Wollstonecraft against Burke, Orwell against Lenin, Robert Nozick against Martha Nussbaum, and John Rawls against Peter Singer. They bring these thinkers to bear on the hot button issues of our day.

To do that well, students draw on the analytic tools of the social sciences, economics, sociology, psychology, and political science, alongside the humanities, history, art history, literary analysis, and philosophy. The aim is reasoned discussion about topics that incite strong feelings.

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The best discussions are the ones where students challenge one another with respect, change their minds, or leave still thinking about the question. That's when I know real learning is happening.

Dr. David Allyn

Director, Avenues Institute for the Advanced Study of Ethics and the Common Good

Meet our faculty

over 3 years

From the ancient world to this morning's headlines

The Institute traces the debate over the common good from the classical world to the present day.

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Year 1: Foundations

In Year 1, students read essential texts in ethics and political philosophy, examining classical, utilitarian, libertarian, liberal, and communitarian visions of justice. They read selections from such key texts as Plato’s The Trial of Socrates, Aristotle’s The Politics, Rousseau’s The Social Contract, Marx’s The Communist Manifesto, de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth, Hayek The Road to Serfdom, and Foucault’s Discipline and Punish.

Year 2: Connections

In Year 2, students explore connections between the philosophical concepts discussed in Year 1 and the world we live in today. Year 2 emphasizes the study of history, literature, and current events. Students read more recent texts by political theorists like Steven Levitsky, Michelle Alexander, and Thomas Pickety.

Year 3: Explorations

In Year 3, students examine ethical decision-making in fields such as law, medicine, business, entertainment, education, and politics. Students interview leaders in each of these fields and discuss case studies developed by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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THE CAPSTONE

The program culminates in original work grounded in real-world inquiry. Students pursue a senior thesis informed by interviews with contemporary leaders. Examples of capstone paths may include shadowing an organizational leader, convening a public symposium on a political question, or creating an original creative work in response to the themes of the Institute.

Graduates leave exceptionally well prepared for the demands of top-tier universities and equipped with the habits of mind needed to participate thoughtfully in an increasingly complex world.

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