Ergo (newspaper)

"Ergo" was a student-run newspaper, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but distributed and staffed by people from other colleges in the Boston area as well, primarily Harvard University and Boston University. It was started in 1969 as a conservative-libertarian alternative to the often socialist student activism that was prevalent at the time. It was published weekly on Wednesdays; support came from advertising, contributions, and subscriptions; MIT provided free office space but did not otherwise support the paper.

In the next few years "Ergo" shifted in a more explicitly libertarian direction, and its editorial policy became more clearly aligned with Objectivism. Content included commentary on local and national political issues, occasional analysis of more abstract philosophical issues, and reviews of books and music. The paper conducted a long-running campaign criticizing the MIT philosophy department for presenting analytic philosophy to the exclusion of other philosophical systems, and campaigned with more success against student hazing practices. It regularly covered Ayn Rand's annual talks at the Ford Hall Forum.

As the core group behind "Ergo" graduated and drifted away, and as student activism in general declined, publication became more sporadic. It ceased publication in the 1980s. It was briefly revived in 1999.

Authors for "Ergo" included Robert Bidinotto and (briefly) Simson Garfinkel.