• The intellectual growth forum for high school students everywhere

  • The Political Economy of Antitrust Enforcement Under Republican Rule, 1890-1914

    / Interdisciplinary: US History, Politics

    Nathan Hu ’25

    The Lawrenceville School

    New Jersey, USA

  • Challenging Hard Luck: Defending Libertarian Free Will

    / Philosophy

    Hamish Miao ’26

    Saint Andrew’s School

    Florida, USA

  • The Cost of Freedom: A Study on the Social Ironies of the Flapper Movement

    / American Studies

    Ainslie Chen ’25

    The Harker School

    California, USA

  • Reform or Repeat? Mental Illness and Carceral Practices During the Moral Treatment Era

    / Interdisciplinary: Psychology,
    Social Policy

    Chloe Kim ’25

    Phillips Academy Andover

    Massachusetts, USA

  • Political to Personal: The Evolution of Feminist Poetry

    / Interdisciplinary: Literature, Women’s Studies

    Amani Shroff ’26

    Carlmont High School

    California, USA

  • Patriotism as a Vice: Justus Lipsius and a Neostoicism’s Argument Against Fervent Patriotism

    / Interdisciplinary: Politics, Philosophy

    Lukas Odenius ’26

    St Paul’s School

    New Hampshire, USA

  • Tongyangxi Tradition in Ancient China: The Practice of Raising Future Daughters-in-Law

    / Anthropology

    Xiao Bo Zeng ’26

    Collingwood School

    British Columbia, Canada

  • Additions to the European History Collection

    Archives Expansion 
  • Defiance and Nationhood: The Montenegrin Struggle Against Ottoman Rule

    / European History

    Simrat Walia ’26

    Basis Independent Silicon Valley

    California, USA

  • Theatrical Revolution: Shakespeare and the Rise of Commercial Playhouses in England, 1580-1620

    / European History

    James Qiu ’26

    University of Toronto Schools

    Ontario, Canada

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Join the Expansion

Share your research, advance the discipline.

Attention Class of 2025

Final call for submission by June 1st

for September publication, your last chance before college

  • Lukas Odenius

    My love for Classics began when I read the Percy Jackson series in Third Grade, which opened my eyes to the world of Greek and Roman mythology. As such, I...

    Lukas Odenius

    My love for Classics began when I read the Percy Jackson series in Third Grade, which opened my eyes to the world of Greek and Roman mythology. As such, I...

  • Xiao Bo Zeng

    When I learned about the ancient Chinese practice of foot-binding in grade eight, I was fascinated by how cultural beliefs could profoundly impact the lives of millions of women. At...

    Xiao Bo Zeng

    When I learned about the ancient Chinese practice of foot-binding in grade eight, I was fascinated by how cultural beliefs could profoundly impact the lives of millions of women. At...

  • Amani Shroff

    I still remember the first time I stumbled upon a Silvia Plath poem at my local library. The raw intensity of her language, the unapologetic power of her words, and...

    Amani Shroff

    I still remember the first time I stumbled upon a Silvia Plath poem at my local library. The raw intensity of her language, the unapologetic power of her words, and...

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Notable Essays

Selected from the 2023-2024 collection

  • The Global Environmental Impacts of World War I

    Interdisciplinary: Environmental Studies, World History

    Kevin Guo 
  • The Mind-Body Problem: A Critique of Type Identity Theory

    Philosophy

    Clarence Chen 
  • Mortality Moves Masses: Social Movements as Evolved Responses to Pandemics

    Interdisciplinary: Sociology, Psychology

    Gabriel Wolf Evers 
  • The Formation of Charismatic Authority: An Analysis of Julius Caesar and George Washington

    Politics

    Persephone Reeves 
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Featured Essay

Philosophy

Challenging Hard Luck: Defending Libertarian Free Will

Hamish Miao ’26 | Saint Andrew’s School | Florida, USA

The hard luck objection to free will suggests that if our actions are ultimately determined by factors beyond our control – what could be termed “no-control luck” – then free will is impossible. This objection rests on the premise that free will requires genuine control over our actions. This essay opposes this view, asserting that it conflicts with our intuitive understanding of free will. By comparing humans and large language models (LLMs), the paper demonstrates that while both are influenced by no-control luck, we intuitively ascribe free will to humans but not to LLMs. This difference in ascriptions suggests that the concept of free will, as commonly understood, does not depend on the presence or absence of no-control luck. Based on an analysis of contemporary positions in the free will debate, the essay concludes that our ascriptions of free will depend on factors other than no-control luck, and the hard luck objection fails to capture the essence of the concept of free will. The hard luck objection, therefore, fails to capture the true essence of free will. This analysis opens up a new possibility in the free will debate, suggesting that the traditional “up-to-us” condition may not be significant to the ascription of free will. Thus, it suggests the establishment of a potential new free will framework that requires further research. The discussions presented in this paper are intended to enrich academic discourse by challenging established paradigms and promoting a reevaluation of the foundational principles that underpin the concept of free will.

  • Philosophy

    History: Greco-Roman, US, European, World

    Art History

    Literature, Literary Theory, Classics

    Public Policy

    Sociology: Political Sociology, Sociolinguistics

    Contents updated periodically.

  • Embark on a scholarly journey through our disciplinary collections, exploring a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences.

  • Interdisciplinary I

    The study of politics, conflict, and governance that shape the world and the natural environment at national and international levels

    Politics, War Studies, International Relations, Environmental Studies

  • Interdisciplinary II

    The exploration of creative expressions and the policies and programs that shape cultural activities

    Cultural Policy, Film and Media Studies, Musicology

  • Interdisciplinary III

    The investigation of cultural practices, beliefs, and social structures that influence and are influenced by human societies

    American Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Psychology

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