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CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (13 MIN)
Conservative division has posed a great threat to the advancement of policies and causes we hold dear. More than that, it places a stumbling block in front of the ideas and actions that could pull America back from the brink. So, many leaders have tried to pull the right back together, and one has developed a set of principles he thinks could reunite conservatives.
Kevin Roberts, ISI board member and president of the Heritage Foundation, delivered these principles to the Steamboat Institute Freedom Conference last month in a message reprinted in The American Conservative. Roberts argues that to respond to woke culture and other new challenges, the conservative movement must coalesce around 10 main ideas.
Here are Roberts’ principles: (1) the importance of the family, (2) a focus on gratitude, (3) the greatness of America, (4) the significance of moral virtue, (5) the power of the people, (6) a commitment to subsidiarity, (7) the morality of free enterprise, (8) the eternality of societal values, (9) the reality of the nation-state, and (10) an ordering of liberty.
Only by rediscovering these invaluable truths, Roberts says, can the many fissures in conservatism today be bridged.
Read about these principles in full right here.
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Weekly Poll
RESULTS: 8/31/23
Last week, we asked: Who is your favorite Republican presidential candidate? Here are the results:
Ron DeSantis - 29.0%
Nikki Haley - 22.8%
Donald Trump - 19.3%
Vivek Ramaswamy - 7.6%
Chris Christie - 5.5%
Mike Pence - 4.8%
Tim Scott - 4.8%
Asa Hutchinson - 2.8%
Unsure - 2.8%
Doug Burgum - 0.7%
What should conservatives focus on?
[A] Unity against the left
[B] Correct principles
[C] Unsure
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CATEGORY: SCIENCE (10 MIN)
Recent natural disasters like the Hawaii wildfires have launched a whole slew of new articles about the effect of climate change on the world’s health. Many scientists debate how significant this impact is; some say it matters more than others. But one thing is for sure: they all discuss climate change, and the headlines won’t let readers forget it.
Is that good for science? For The Free Press, Patrick T. Brown, a climate scientist and writer, argues that this trend has pushed popular narratives at the expense of discovery. Although Brown believes climate change certainly affects natural disasters, he says other factors also play into the wildfires that have spread across the globe.
Brown uses the example of his recent piece in Nature. In it, he and several co-authors chose to only write about the influence of climate change on extreme wildfires. They ignored other possible causes, like forest management and intentional ignition, even though such analysis could potentially be useful. Why? Because the climate narrative was important.
To conclude, Brown calls for editors to stop forcing scientists to confine their work to the most popular strain of thought, and he asks scientists to prioritize accuracy and thoroughness over clicks.
Discover his entire plea right here.
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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE
In this episode, Tom Shakely, Chief Engagement Officer for Americans United for Life, joins the podcast to discuss:
- the case for making birth free and charting a pro-family agenda
- why Lincoln’s insights on shaping public opinion about slavery should analogously inform the pro-life movement’s thinking about protecting the unborn
- how the logic of abortion could lead to a dystopian regime that promotes euthanasia as a right and a good
Texts Mentioned:
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ISI’s 70th Anniversary Gala &
Linda L. Bean Center Dedication
September 28th, 2023
This fall, join us at our 70th Anniversary Gala featuring Tucker Carlson, Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, and Linda Bean, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Together these are some of the most influential figures in America today.
We will also host a pre-event panel featuring longtime friends of ISI including Annette Kirk (Russell Kirk Center), Gene Meyer (The Federalist Society), Ed Feulner (The Heritage Foundation), and Dan McCarthy (ISI), discussing the 70th anniversary of three conservative classics: Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, Leo Strauss’ Natural Right and History, and Robert Nisbet’s The Quest for Community.
We will have a lobster dinner in honor of Tucker and Linda’s mutual connection to the state of Maine, and seating will be limited to 150 guests. Our VIP ticket holders will have the chance to meet ISI trustees and event speakers in a private reception beforehand.
Reserve your tickets here!
Join us in Wilmington, DE >>>
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
“Investigation: who will enforce Indiana’s partial abortion ban?” via The Collegiate Commons
“Clinic for Women, an abortion clinic in Indianapolis, made the decision to shut down and move to a location in Danville, Illinois shortly after the partial ban was certified.... However, an employee at Clinic for Women appears to have violated Indiana law a day after the abortion restrictions went into effect.”
“Claremont McKenna Plummets to 72nd in Free Speech Rankings” via The Claremont Independent
“On Wednesday, Claremont McKenna College fell from 6th to 72nd place in the College Free Speech Rankings from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Just two years ago, CMC was ranked first in the country.”
“Contemporary Civilization: A Lesson in Change” via The Columbia Independent
“Amidst recent calls for curricular reform and abolition, many characterize the Core Curriculum and one of its principal courses, Contemporary Civilization, as old-fashioned, which might lead many to assume that the syllabus has remained stagnant since its first iteration in 1919. Such an assumption, however, would overlook a century of educational evolution.”
Good Riddance, Affirmative Action via The Texas Horn
“As an Asian, I am obligated to comment on this issue.... I believe that no form of racial discrimination in education or employment should exist.”
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CATEGORY: SCIENCE (12 MIN)
The Enlightenment brought scientific thinking to the forefront of the modern mind, sparking a new era of discovery and innovation (and bringing with it some hidden costs). But by no means did science begin in the 1600s. Ancients like Pythagoras and Ptolemy found truths about the Earth long before any of our modern scientific heroes.
At least one writer has argued that science can be seen through the lens of a different ancient mind: Aristotle. For this week’s Intercollegiate Review archive, Thomas B. Fowler reviews a book making this point: The Nature of Scientific Explanation by the late Jude P. Dougherty. Dougherty posited that science is based in realism and thus can be analyzed through Aristotelian principles.
Fowler pushes back against this claim, noting that science and what we know to be true about reality may be two different things. After all, science has changed substantially over the past millennia, while reality itself has not really changed at all. He also discusses “final causality” – the idea that nature has a purpose.
“In fact, the real question isn’t whether final causality is needed for science (it isn’t), but whether scientific explanations are or can be sufficient to explain all of reality,” Fowler writes.
Read his take on Dougherty’s work right here.
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Thought of the Day:
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
- Winston S. Churchill
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Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
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