Students share perspectives on “Socialism and Capitalism”

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The Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University sponsored a colloquium from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Mott room on Nov. 16. Students selected to participate in the colloquium discussed free markets, socialism, division of labor, the concept of liberty, and 18th century economist Adam Smith’s theory of political economy according to this year’s theme, “Capitalism and Socialism.” 

The IHS is a libertarian, nonprofit organization that sponsors discussion colloquiums at colleges all over the United States as a part of their mission to support the discussion of classic liberal ideas, including topics such as “individual liberty and responsibility, limited government, economic freedom, the rule of law, free speech, and open inquiry,” according to their website. 

IHS Student Programs Specialist Daniel Karns attended Luther’s Capitalism and Socialism Colloquium and explained the organization’s goal to promote the open exchange of ideas on college campuses. 

“Part of our core belief is the idea that the academic institution should be a place where open inquiry flourishes and where students are allowed to challenge and engage ideas freely in an academic space,” Karns said. “Part of our program is to expose students to different ideas and allow them to engage in Socratic dialogue in order to have an experience of intellectual discovery where they can just wrestle with and challenge ideas and be able to learn from each other.”

Luther began its relationship with the IHS when Professor of Management Tim Schweizer contacted the organization a few years ago. Since then, Schweizer has coordinated four IHS colloquiums and chooses the overall subject of the event each year. Schweizer wanted to choose a different topic from previous colloquiums this year.   

“We had done the ones on Markets and Morality the last two times, so I thought we should do something different,” Schweizer said. “The whole socialism and capitalism thing is really alive right now, so I thought this is perfect timing.”