This autumn, George Mason University’s Institute for Humane Studies announced the launch of a new Web site, iLiberty.org, dedicated to celebrating and examining challenges to individual liberty and personal responsibility.
Individual Liberty project director Amy Phillips described the site as “an excellent resource for education and exploration of concepts such as paternalism, the ‘nanny state,’ and a wide range of individual and civil liberties issues.”
The group is currently conducting a $5,000 essay contest for students, encouraging them to consider the impact and consequences of legislation designed to protect individuals from themselves.
“We’ve found essay contests such as this to be an excellent way of encouraging students to think critically about important issues,” Phillips said.
“iLiberty.org is one of the Think for Yourself projects sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University,” Phillips continued. “Through these projects we seek to engage students who think critically, care passionately about effecting change, and want to explore new solutions to social problems. Our Web site and essay contests are among the ways we hope to accomplish this.”
The essay question examines the effectiveness of legislation designed to protect individuals from themselves, and the potential consequences that arise from such regulation.
For more information about the contest, go to http://www.iLiberty.org/essay. All contests are open to full-time students of any nationality and age, as well as anyone 25 or younger. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2006.
