Essays & News

The Living Tree and the Erosion of the Rule of Law Johann-Jakob Chervet Second Prize in Vernon Smith Prize Contest 2022.  Abstract This essay explores the danger of the corruption of language to the Rule of Law. As Justice Gorsuch wrote “words are how the law constrains power”. Therefore, the corruption of our language inevitably […]

When the “social” becomes an end in itself… individual agency and freedom will disappear: How are intellectuals shaping this ideal? Lisa Helga Kinspergher First Prize in Vernon Smith Prize Contest 2022. Abstract Language manipulation is a practice aimed at distorting the actual meaning of words and providing them hidden and subtle connotations. Today this strategy […]

Europe’s economic engine is sputtering, and real growth rates are shrinking. With a few exceptions, this is the case all over the old continent. Europe has all the ingredients of success: a well-educated population, great scientific institutions and universities and a wide range of successful companies, especially owner-managed family businesses and hidden champions. Despite that, […]

The Fable of the Bees: Private Vices, Publick Benefits. Ein paar Bemerkungen zum 290. Todesjahr von Bernard de Mandeville.   The worst of all the multitude did something for the common good. Bernard de Mandeville (1670-1733)  I Über Persönlichkeit und Charakter Bernard de Mandeville’s ist trotz seiner Berühmheit relativ wenig bekannt. Es git jedoch weitgehend als […]

We are living in a time of immense geopolitical shifts. This is not surprising, as change is a normal occurrence. However, there are periods when changes take place more rapidly and on a larger scale. Shifts in geopolitics can be driven by a variety of factors, including technological, demographic, and environmental developments, as well as […]