The key to understanding humanity is understanding the humanities. Follow for information on our upcoming events, discussions, and lectures.
Cambridge, MA
Joined August 2016
- Tweets1.1K
- Following231
- Followers993
- Likes495
Pinned Tweet
NEXT WEEK:
Why does modern political life seem shadowed by assassinations? Join us for AAI's 2026 Annual Lecture: "The Age of Assassination: Lincoln & Kennedy" with James Piereson—a timely lecture exploring the causes, consequences, and enduring impact of political violence.
📅 Tuesday, April 7
🕐 5 PM
🏛️ Sever Hall 102
👨🎓Harvard University
👉Register here: abigailadamsinstitute.org/ca…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
Great essay from my Director of Research @BryceFuemmeler.
College students are uniquely miserable, in no small part because they're too focused on themselves. The solution?
"These days university students neither stand in awe of great ideas nor worship the divine. But in returning to both pursuits, students will find what they seek, and they will be happy."
Activists and politicians promise us that if we follow them, we'll find ourselves (and more meaning in life). That's a terrible overpromise. I think there's a better way.
My latest for @mereorthodoxy:
mereorthodoxy.com/the-beguil…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
This September, @FairerSexFD Featured Authors and friends are convening in New York for two and a half days to find a better way forward for women. If you’re interested in attending, email [email protected] with a short bio and why you’d like to join us. Space is very limited.
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
“The religious and spiritual students of MIT take science seriously, lingering over proofs, arguing over error bars, staying up late debating models. Because science takes up so much of MIT students’ attention, we are at once especially susceptible to scientism and well positioned to sense its limits.” @SiddhuPachipala
Modern science, consciousness, and the supernatural—do they point toward belief?
Ross Douthat explores the case for religion in this week's lecture hosted by our friends at Aletheia.
Register: events.humanitix.com/alethei…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
Why does a region so rich in natural resources and human talent continue to produce so little economic progress?
Latin America is endowed with vast natural resources and an entrepreneurial and resilient population.
Yet throughout our history, economic growth has remained far too weak, condemning millions to extreme poverty and limiting the region’s potential.
Between 2014 and 2023, Latin America recorded average annual GDP growth of just 0.9%.
It remains the most unequal region in the world in terms of income distribution, according to the Gini Index and related indicators.
Poverty also remains alarmingly high: 27% of Latin Americans live below the poverty line, and 11% live in extreme poverty.
Tomorrow, I will discuss this issue at @Harvard with the @AAICambridge. We will examine the causes of Latin America’s enduring economic stagnation and the reforms needed to reverse it.
In the digital age, it's no secret that our attention spans are deeply fractured. But what if, instead of asking what we must do to fix our attention, we ask what we must receive to re-tune it? Here's what a 500-Year-Old sculpture can teach us about receptivity:
abigailadamsinstitute.org/se…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
NEH awards $75.1 million in grants to 84 humanities projects, including research, education, and public programs on the U.S. 250th anniversary.
tinyurl.com/3a37thbk
In an age of limitless freedom, how ought we to order our lives? Dr. Frank Martela argues that pursuing a purpose—particularly in service of something greater than ourselves—is how we find lasting happiness and lead a flourishing life. Read more: abigailadamsinstitute.org/se…
“The pursuit of happiness” is a fundamental human endeavor—but when does the pursuit become the obstacle? Research suggests that chasing emotional highs can paradoxically lead to anxiety and depression. The question: how can we journey toward “the good life” without obsessing over it? Read more in our latest Seeking the Good article:
abigailadamsinstitute.org/se…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
Watch the video of Paul Kingsnorth speaking about his new book, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity.
Thanks to sponsor @AAICambridge and thank you @Sean_D_Kelly and Jacqueline C. Rivers for your responses.
youtube.com/watch?v=GXPPrQKO…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
I'm so grateful to @AAICambridge, whose support through the Wollstonecraft Fellowship made it possible for me to take a work sabbatical and finish The Dignity of Dependence.
They're looking for a finance/ops director:
abigailadamsinstitute.org/ca…
Next Monday, join our friend @arthurbrooks, Director of AAI's Program on Human Dignity, at the Harvard Business School for a live taping of the award-winning “HBR IdeaCast” podcast! He’ll share insights on purpose, leadership, and how to build a good life.
🗓️ Monday, October 6 · 5:30 - 7:30pm EDT
📍Klarman Hall, Harvard Business School
eventbrite.com/e/hbr-ideacas…
🎟️Student tickets free with code STUDENT.
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
Thanks to @AAICambridge for co-sponsoring this event!
After the Machine: Paul Kingsnorth at Harvard
On Oct 1.
RSVP today.
In his new book Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity, English writer Paul Kingsnorth argues that forces of economic globalization have treated people as means not ends, leading to homogenized culture and widespread nihilism. With the force of this “machine” sucking us in, how can we remain human? How can we fend off despair and cynicism when it threatens to crush our very soul? Is another life really possible after the “machine”?
Early bird tickets are on sale now:
plough.com/en/events/2025/af…
JUST ANNOUNCED: 🚨📣Today, AAI joins forces with Harvard Kennedy School’s Leadership & Happiness Lab to bring you "Seeking the Good" — a journal blending science and ancient wisdom to rethink how we approach today’s biggest challenges. Learn more and subscribe: 👇
abigailadamsinstitute.org/se…
Last week, AAI partnered with @Insper to present "Ethics and the Market", a seminar exploring the intersections of economics, politics, and society. Enriched by a Harvard Art Museum visit, a Freedom Trail tour, and a movie night, the week was expertly led by Prof. Fernando Schuler and Dr. Danilo Petranovich.
Summer seminar season has officially come to a close! Earlier this month, @NPinkoski and @moveincircles taught another fantastic edition of "The Machine Has No Tradition: A Seminar on Technology, Revolution, and Apocalypse." Participants from across the globe joined us on Harvard's campus to discuss thinkers spanning the Industrial Revolution to the Age of AI.
In case you missed it: @nytimes covered AAI in a recent article discussing intellectual vitality and viewpoint diversity at Harvard: nytimes.com/2025/06/03/us/ha…
Abigail Adams Institute retweeted
Glad to see the @nytimes story on @AAICambrid last week. A kind of catacombs for faculty and students at Harvard and other area universities, it's a much-needed reprieve for those seeking real intellectual diversity.
Bryce Fuemmeler, the Lab’s research lead and Seeking the Good’s Managing Editor, and Danilo Petranovich, AAI’s Director, lay out the vision for this new collaboration: abigailadamsinstitute.org/se…
