Creating the "masses," beyond free speech, individualism in ancient Greece, and more . . .

The best of intellectual conservative thought, every Thursday
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CATEGORY: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (4 min)



** A Sociologist Explains How Modern Tyranny Works ([link removed])
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Sociologist Robert Nisbet made an observation in 1953 that holds true today.

Local communities, churches, clubs, charities . . . such associations form people and help them find meaning and belonging.

What happens when these communities erode?

They get replaced by government programs.

Too Big to Go Away

Fast forward to 2020. Everyone you know is talking about the need for community. The Atlantic is covering the increase of loneliness and “loneliness studies.” Radicalism is rising online and off.

Add them to troubled minds and you have the ingredients for tyranny.

This excerpt from Nisbet’s groundbreaking book The Quest for Community will show you why. Spoiler alert: It happened once in Soviet Russia.

And if you’re accepted to the ISI Honors Program, you’ll get to read and discuss his book in toto (more on Honors below).

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CATEGORY: HIGHER EDUCATION (4 min)


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Ideological Diversity Is Not Enough ([link removed])
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When the ratio of Democrat to GOP donors among college professors is 95:1 . . . and student activists tune out opposing perspectives with angry chants . . . there’s obviously a lack of diversity.

But imagine that, suddenly, conservative ideas were welcomed on campus.

The mic is passed. Now—

What Should Conservatives Say?

As Avi Woolf points out in Arc Digital, conservatives in higher education need to do more than storm the ramparts for free speech.

They need to answer questions like:
1. What does it mean to be a conservative historian? philosopher? social scientist?

2. What positive contributions can they make to academia?

Woolf also explores the pros and cons of the traditional conservative emphasis on the Great Books.

It’s a short article and worth reading in full.

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CATEGORY: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY (5 min)



** Individualism in Ancient Greece ([link removed])
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We owe a lot to the ancient Greeks: Homer’s Odyssey, Euclid’s geometry, architecture, gyros, individualism.

Of course, the individualism part is complicated. Like any hand-me-down, it wears well in some parts of modern human life and politics, but frays badly in others.

Read this excerpt from Professor John W. Danford’s book Roots of Freedom to find out what the ancient Greeks got right about the individual—and what they got wrong.

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** 2020 ISI Honors Program ([link removed])
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The ISI Honors Program delivers the kinds of experiences that most college students can only dream about, all with the aim of encouraging serious thought and growth.

If you’re accepted to the Honors Program, you’ll enjoy:
* An all-expenses-paid summer conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA

* Invitations to exclusive seminars throughout the 2020–21 academic year

* Academic mentorship

* . . . and much more

Applications close February 15, so learn more and apply today!

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** Who We Are, What We Do
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Most thoughtful college students are sick of getting a shallow education in which too many viewpoints are shut out. We teach you the principles of liberty and plug you into a vibrant intellectual community so that you get the collegiate experience you hunger for.

Are you looking for an education and a community dedicated to preserving the principles and ideas worth saving? Learn more and get started with ISI today!

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