From August 1 to the 14 the Witherspoon Institute held its annual seminar on First Principles: Moral and Political Philosophy in the Natural Law Tradition, a program of the Schreyer Summer Seminars. Each year this seminar brings together advanced undergraduate and graduate students to examine the fundamental principles that guide human behavior and the epistemology of ethical theory within the framework of the natural law tradition.

The seminar was centered around one joint session for both graduate and undergraduate session, after which both groups had individual sessions. In the joint session, students encountered the political philosophy of Eric Voegelin through a volume of his collected writings entitled Modernity Without Limits, as well as various works by John Finnis, Germain Grisez, Joseph Boyle and other New Natural Law thinkers on a range of topics from the ethics of killing, to sexual and reproductive ethics.

The graduate students also had afternoon sessions with the faculty for more in-depth analysis and discussion of the applied ethics of the new natural law theory as well as the metaphysical context of the treatise on law in Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae.

Meanwhile, the undergraduates had the opportunity to engage in a broader range of topics through a series of guest lectures. They met with Ana Samuel (University of Notre Dame) to discuss the theories of sexual ethics of Enlightenment Thinkers such as Montesquieu, Locke, Rousseau and Hume; with Hadley Arkes (Amherst College) to discuss the concept of a limited constitution, and constitutionalism grounded in natural law; with Daniel Robinson (University of Oxford) to discuss the Aristotelian sources of the natural law theory: and with Robert P. George (Princeton University) on the subject of natural law reasoning in the public square.

Applicants came from five continents and eight countries. High demand and limited space meant that we had an admissions rate of 61%our most competitive applicant pool to date. Admitted students came from the following institutions: Yale University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of Steubenville, University of Virginia, University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Baylor University, University of Oxford, Catholic University of America, Claremont Graduate College, and American University.

Admitted students resided in and attended seminars at Princeton University. Since its inception, the cost of the seminar has been fully covered by the generosity of the supporters of the Witherspoon Institute, with students only paying a registration fee which accounts for less than 20% of the per-person costs of the seminar. Moreover, more than half of the accepted students received financial aid in the form of scholarships and/or travel stipends.

In an evaluation of the seminar, one student wrote:
"The First Principles Seminar was the most rigorous academic program I have encountered. The conversations between professors and students were some of the richest I have ever had. In terms of intellectual engagement and friendly debate, I cannot think of an equal."

The Witherspoon Institute is an independent research center that works to enhance public understanding of the moral foundations of free and democratic societies. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Institute promotes the application of fundamental principles of republican government and ordered liberty to contemporary problems through a variety of research and educational ventures. To support the Witherspoon Institute, please follow the contribution instructions or donate online via PayPal.