The Principles of Human Progress
The Principles of Human Progress are fundamental to everything Americans for Prosperity Foundation does and they are the paradigm that guides our actions. They are essential to our success.
A deep belief in and respect for the inherent worth of every person—as articulated in the Declaration of Independence—enables people to live their lives as they see fit with due regard for the equal and inalienable rights of others and with assurance of equal protection for those rights under the law.
The free movement of ideas, resources, and people generates knowledge, innovation, and opportunity, fueling progress throughout society.
People succeed when their interaction is organized by general rules of just conduct rather than having to agree on concrete aims, enabling those with personal knowledge of a problem to discover solutions that get the best results.
People succeed by creating value for others, motivating them to assist rather than harm one another.
People live lives of meaning when they continually discover, develop, and apply their unique gifts to benefit others.
The Principles of Human Progress are the principles that history has proven bring about human flourishing. Across time, different societies have enabled the conditions for people to have the opportunity to live meaningful lives and achieve success by creating value for others.
We believe that progress occurs when the key institutions that make up our society—education, communities, business, and government—are characterized by the Principles of Human Progress. Progress requires a comprehensive approach, because each of “the institutions are interconnected: a failure in one usually creates problems in the others” (Believe in People, 94). At Americans for Prosperity Foundation, we focus on the key institution of government.
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Learn more about the important issues we engage on and how we empower citizens to impact government.
Our Investigations Team uses state and federal open records requests and other investigative techniques to promote government transparency, advance accountability, and educate the public on important policy issues.