Dear Fellow American,
Is human nature fixed, or can it be changed? That question lies at the heart of some of the most consequential ideas in history.
Karl Marx believed that if society could be upended, mankind itself could be remade.
That promise inspired revolutionary movements throughout the twentieth century—with catastrophic consequences, as communist regimes claimed the lives of more than 100 million people.
Sadly, we’re seeing a resurgence of this destructive ideology right here in the United States.
But anyone who’s read Homer understands something far different.
Nearly 3,000 years ago, The Iliad portrayed men and women with the same hopes, fears, loves, jealousies, ambitions, courage, and grief that we recognize today.
Open its pages, and you discover something remarkable: Human nature has not changed.
Near the end of the poem, King Priam of Troy enters the camp of Achilles, the warrior who killed his beloved son Hector. The old king kneels before his enemy and begs for his son’s body. Achilles thinks of his own aging father, and both men weep together.
Every parent understands that scene. Every son can understand it.
Across three millennia, Homer reminds us that what is deepest in human nature remains the same.
That is why The Iliad has endured as one of the foundational works of Western civilization. And it is one reason Hillsdale College created our free online course, “The Iliad.”
The course introduces students to truths about courage, honor, sacrifice, friendship, justice, and duty—truths that every generation must rediscover if liberty is to endure.
Those same truths also expose the false promise behind every utopian ideology: that human nature can somehow be perfected simply by changing politics or economics.
Will you make a tax-deductible gift today to help us introduce 100,000 Americans to these timeless lessons through Hillsdale’s free online course on The Iliad?
Will you help? Your gift of $25, $50, $100, or even $200 or more will go a long way toward this effort.
Please make your best, tax-deductible gift today using this secure link:
https://secure.hillsdale.edu/donate/support-the-iliad
Today, more young Americans express favorable views of socialism than at any time in recent decades. Too many have never encountered the great books that reveal why attempts to remake human nature have always failed.
Education is the answer.
Through more than 50 free online courses, Hillsdale College is introducing millions of Americans to the principles of liberty and the enduring truths of Western civilization.
Like everything we do, this course was created without accepting a single penny of taxpayer funding—not even indirect funding through student grants and loans.
That independence allows Hillsdale to teach the truth without political interference. But it also means we rely entirely on friends like you to carry these lessons to the Americans who need them most.
Thank you for standing with Hillsdale College as we pursue truth, defend liberty, and help another generation discover one of civilization’s greatest books.
Warm regards,
Bill Gray ’01
Vice President
Institutional Advancement
Hillsdale College
P.S. The false promise of Marxism rests on the belief that human nature can be perfected. The Iliad teaches the opposite—and it has for nearly 3,000 years.
With Marxism on the rise in the United States, please support this effort to introduce 100,000 Americans to these enduring truths. You can give a gift today using this secure link:
https://secure.hillsdale.edu/donate/support-the-iliad
