Reason & Rationality: A Discussion-Based Summer Program in Princeton

Reason & Rationality is an academic summer program based in Princeton that focuses on critical thinking, discussion, and intellectual inquiry.

Rather than emphasizing lectures alone, the program encourages students to engage with major questions in philosophy, economics, ethics, and political thought through seminar-style discussions and debates.

The program offers two tracks: the Foundation Program and the Advanced Program.

The Foundation Program is open to students from Grade 9 through recent high school graduates. Participants explore 20 foundational ideas in philosophy, economics, and ethics, including topics such as free will and determinism, democratic legitimacy, probabilistic arguments for the existence of God, and the limitations of cost-benefit analysis.

The Advanced Program is designed for students who have completed the Foundation Program. It examines more complex questions involving the meaning of life, objective versus subjective values, advanced theories of free will, and contemporary ethical and political issues.

Classes are held at Princeton Theological Seminary and are taught by scholars, researchers, and doctoral students affiliated with institutions such as Princeton and Harvard.

Students enrolled in the two-week program may also participate in the Oral Exam Contest, modeled after Princeton's undergraduate oral examination format. Participants present arguments, defend their reasoning, and respond to questions in a structured academic setting.