Prōfectus (latin) (genitive prōfectūs) (masc.)
Advance, Progress, Effect, Increase, Growth, Profit, Success
Profectus is a web-based magazine featuring thoughtful writing and artwork
on the intersection of academic literature, public policy, civilizational progress, and human flourishing.
About Us
We live at a time of profound contradiction. Centuries of liberal democratic capitalism have created a world of affluence and abundance that previous generations could only dream of; and yet, the social institutions, traditions, and personal bonds that make life meaningful are under great stress. The freedom and dynamism that enabled unprecedented levels of prosperity have arrived with novel challenges we must overcome to preserve our opportunity to live a flourishing life.
Rather than tear down the legal and cultural foundations that helped humanity escape abject poverty, or attempt to retrieve a romanticized past, a new path forward must be found. We must
honor the wisdom of the past while recognizing the immense potential of innovation to meet the
challenges of the day.
Fortunately, human beings are not merely economic units or avatars of an identity group, subject to the whims of systems and forces beyond their control. Each person has both the capacity and responsibility to shape the future, both for themselves and those around them.
Moreover, becoming a necessary part of the story by positively and significantly contributing to the lives of others is an essential ingredient of flourishing.
We started Profectus Magazine to explore these ideas and craft a new vision in which human agency is at the core of preserving the achievements of the past and embracing our ability to meet the challenges of the future. At Profectus Magazine, our goal is to kickstart a cultural and academic conversation around the key drivers of human flourishing, progress, and the barriers that stand in the way of improving well-being, with a recognition of the immense potential for innovation and ingenuity to make positive changes when properly encouraged and applied.
We strive to feature thoughtful essays, interviews, reviews, and roundtable discussions, alongside inspiring artwork, that stimulate new thinking on what it means to flourish and offer real-life examples for our modern context.
We invite you to join us on our journey to discover the path forward. You can sign up to receive updates when new articles are published or follow us on Twitter for the latest news. We encourage you to reach out to our editorial team with topics, books, ideas, or people we should be following.
Email us at profectus@archbridgeinstitute.org or send pitches to our editors-in-chief, Clay and Ben. Together, we hope to open the conversation and create a place for solutions-oriented thinking about the future of flourishing.
Email us at: profectus@archbridgeinstitute.org or sign up below to receive an email when new editions are published!
Our Editors
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Follow Clay on Twitter @clayroutledge. Or email at croutledge@archbridgeinstitute.org
Clay Routledge, Ph.D., is Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute..
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Follow Ben on Twitter @bgwilterdink. Or email at bwilterding@archbridgeinstitute.org
Ben Wilterdink is Director of Programs at the Archbridge Institute.
Managing Editor
Follow Kali on Twitter @kal_louise. Or email at kkeller@archbridgeinstitute.org
Kali Keller is Communications and Marketing Manager at the Archbridge Institute.