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PPEL Summer School 2023

June 5th–8th, 2023
at the University of San Diego

PPEL Overview

The Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) Undergraduate Summer School features a curriculum focusing on the practical problems of organizing and running human society. The summer school is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (#62965). Registration, meals, and student housing are free.

Students will explore questions related to:

  • The nature of citizenship and the role individuals play in making critical decisions facing society

  • How markets function and the conditions under which they create wealth and prosperity

  • When and why markets sometimes fail

  • The role of political institutions in structuring market exchange and allocating resources

  • Strengthening critical thinking skills and cultivating intellectual humility to engage with diverse perspectives

Topics addressed during the program include:

  • The nature and justification of property rights

  • The use of market prices in coordinating economic activity

  • How trust and reciprocity facilitate personal exchange

  • The moral dimensions of:

    • Cost-benefit analysis

    • Exploitation

    • Repugnant transactions

University of San Diego

2023 PPEL Summer School Recap
June 5–8, 2023 | University of San Diego

The 2023 Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) Undergraduate Summer School was hosted at the University of San Diego. The event welcomed 30 undergraduates from 20 different universities for a four-day immersive program focused on key philosophical and practical questions about society, governance, and exchange.

Program Highlights

Students participated in a rich schedule of lectures and discussions led by renowned scholars in philosophy, economics, political theory, and law. The sessions fostered critical thinking and cross-disciplinary dialogue.

Featured Sessions

Plenary Lectures:

  • David Schmidtz – Philosophy Lost

  • Vernon Smith – Adam Smith’s Theory of Society

Faculty Sessions:

  • John Thrasher – Norms and Conventions

  • Candace Smith – Etiquette

  • Suzi Dovi – Rethinking the Justice Argument

  • Justin Bruner – Evolution, Cooperation, and In-Group Bias

  • Mary Rigdon – Personal Exchange

  • Saura Masconale – Corporate Activism and Democracy

  • Kingsley Brandle – Q&A: Graduate School Applications and Experience

  • Vlad Tarko – Capitalism and its Crisis of Legitimacy

  • Matt Zwolinski – Panel Discussion: Universal Basic Income

  • Simone Sepe – Generalized Freedom of Contract

Student Engagement:

  • Big Question Project Presentations – Students showcased their research on essential questions in philosophy, economics, politics, and law.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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