Intellectual Takeout is a program of Charlemagne Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to defending and advancing the philosophical and spiritual foundations of Western Civilization.

We depend upon the generosity of donors to support our mission and to keep our programs running. Nearly 10,000 individuals across the country support Charlemagne Institute and its programs, which include Intellectual Takeout.

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Mission & Vision

Like you, we are deeply troubled by the growing cultural division within America. Discussions today quickly become heated, emotional yelling matches that drive people further apart. Many of us even fear making our opinions known, lest we be ostracized, threatened, fired, or even physically assaulted.

How did the land of the free and home of the brave come to this? We believe there are two significant factors: the breakdown of the education system and the collapse of the key social structures of family, community, and faith.

Decades ago, parents could count on local schools to ensure students would be historically and culturally literate. No more. Meanwhile, the ongoing collapse of community, family, and faith leaves a large and growing number of Americans feeling lost, lonely, and adrift.

These changes, combined with the isolating effect of online culture, have created a perfect environment for propagandists to work, preying upon emotions to drive political agendas.

What We Do

Every day the staff of Intellectual Takeout come to work eager to do their part to restore and improve our great nation. We interact with millions of Americans each week, publishing numerous articles each day and promoting them through vast social media and email networks. Additionally we host events, provide commentary for traditional media shows, and give speeches to groups of all sizes.

Through it all, we have seen a great thirst for the work we do. As Eleanor, a reader, told us:

“Reading the posts from you all every day is as refreshing as water to a desert traveler.”

This is why we exist: To serve as a refuge for those who want to pursue truth, rediscover the wisdom and traditions of the past, discuss ideas calmly, and apply what’s been learned to their own lives and communities.

Our Editorial Standards

Intellectual Takeout is a commentary site that publishes original opinion pieces and republishes opinion pieces from other sources. We often feature opposing points of view and the opinions we publish do not necessarily represent the views of Intellectual Takeout’s staff or parent organization. When we occasionally report breaking news, we label those articles with a graphic tag to distinguish them from our site’s regular opinion commentary.

Through our site and social media presence, we aim to provide a “refuge for rational discourse,” where people of differing viewpoints can engage each other in the pursuit of truth. As such, we strive to provide accurate information. We encourage our readers to notify our editors of anything we publish that is factually incorrect, at this address. We will promptly and publicly issue corrections to articles when we discover errors of fact.

We draw a clear line between our editorial decisions and our donors and board members. The decisions our editors make are not influenced by donors or board members. While donors often direct where their financial support goes (such as to internship programs or public lectures), they do not interfere with the writing and publishing of our content.