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CATEGORY: POLITICS (5 MIN)
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump battled in the first presidential debate between the two official party nominees. The ABC News-hosted event in Philadelphia saw some testy exchanges between the two candidates and even some back-and-forth with the moderators.
For The American Conservative, Daniel McCarthy, the editor of Modern Age and ISI’s Vice President for the Collegiate Network, delivers his thoughts on Trump’s and Harris’s performances. McCarthy sees Harris as confirming her status as part of the establishment old guard, while Trump continued to represent “change, or at least disruption, against business as usual.”
McCarthy points to several areas of policy where Harris stands on positions that McCarthy sees as the worst of the past: “nanny statism combined with crony capitalism.” He also notes Harris’s much more progressive voting record in the Senate and contrasts it with her attempt to appear bipartisan on stage.
McCarthy describes Trump’s performances as characteristic of his traditional style: “blunt,” “uninhibited,” and defying conventional expectations. He specifically appreciates a move from Trump that other pundits may have seen as a weakness—instead of giving a half-baked platitudinous plan to potentially replace Obamacare, Trump honestly said he didn’t have a better plan yet but would run it as well as he could in the meantime.
What do you think of this assessment? Read McCarthy’s article here to learn more.
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Weekly Poll
Who won the first presidential debate?
[A] Kamala Harris
[B] Donald Trump
[C] Tie
[D] Didn't watch
RESULTS: 9/5/2024
Does America currently over-value or under-value work?
[A] Over-value - 22.8%
[B] Under-value - 63.2%
[C] Just right - 8.8%
[C] Not sure - 5.3%
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CATEGORY: CULTURE (12 MIN)
Americans’ attention span has been dropping in recent years. There’s less of a general appetite for longform videos and articles in favor of bite-size and sometimes flashy tweets and shorts. The ready accessibility of social media apps throws thousands of short messages and clips at us every day, and it can be hard to even remember what one has read or seen.
Daniel Mundell traces much of this development to what he calls a “technological worldview.” Writing in American Reformer, Mundell says the Western world turned to an overly transactional mindset; a mindset in which the world “resembles a vending machine.” By pressing a button, you get entertainment, news, vice—whatever you want.
Mundell argues that this worldview is actually a form of idolatry. He warns that technology and its tools have become the divine that inspires human creativity. Instead, Mundell urgers Americans to replace technology with beauty. By beauty, Mundell refers both to worship and to the natural world, both of which can inspire humans to achieve more than they believe.
Beauty also takes time and commitment to appreciate, according to Mundell, which is a difficult task for our minds overly used to ease of access. But Mundell believes the striving is worth the reward.
Read his article here.
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CATEGORY: VIDEO
Join us for a captivating lecture by Michael Knowles at our Annual Student Honors Conference, where he explores the intriguing topic of "Dante and the Politics of Pilgrimage." In this thought-provoking presentation, Knowles delves into Dante Alighieri's epic journey through the Divine Comedy, examining the political and philosophical implications of pilgrimage as a metaphor for personal and societal transformation. Discover how Dante's insights into human nature, governance, and virtue remain profoundly relevant in today's world. Whether you're a student of literature, politics, or philosophy, this lecture offers a unique perspective on one of history's most influential poets. Don't miss out on Michael Knowles' engaging analysis of Dante's enduring legacy!
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ISI's Annual
Homecoming Weekend
Join ISI on September 20-21, 2024, for a garden party that’ll welcome students, professors, alumni, and friends of ISI from across the country.
Every year, we host ISI’s annual Homecoming festivities right on our 20-acre campus tucked away into a bucolic pocket of Wilmington, DE. Our Homecoming sets the tone for the new school year and is an opportunity to celebrate and network with our impressive community of students, teachers, alumni, and professionals from a variety of backgrounds.
Official Homecoming Schedule:
Friday, September 20 (6:30 pm – 11 pm)
Guests will gather at ISI’s campus for a reception, bonfire, and open house
Saturday, September 21
Guests will gather at ISI's Campus for an 8:00 am breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 am: Reagan and Nixon Revisited
10:30 am: The Democratization of American Christianity
Top 20 under 30 Awards Ceremony
12:00 – 1:15 pm: God and Man at Yale 2024
1:15 pm: Lunch and festivities begin
Reserve your ticket>>>
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Cornell Republicans and Democrats come together to Plant Flags on 9/11 via The Cornell Review
“In a show of bipartisanship, the Cornell Democrats joined with the Cornell Republicans to plant American flags on the Arts Quad, a solemn tribute that highlighted the unity of purpose among students from across the political spectrum. Despite their differing views on policy, both organizations joined together to honor the solemn anniversary. The event served as a reminder of the resilience and solidarity that the nation displayed in the wake of 9/11, transcending political affiliations. Students, faculty, and passersby stopped to reflect on the memorial, many pausing in silence to remember the victims and the profound impact that day had on the United States and all of her citizens. For the Cornell community, the event was not only a tribute to the lives lost but also a call to action—reminding
students that even in an increasingly polarized world, there are moments where shared humanity and mutual respect can triumph over division.”
Meet Youngkin’s Five New Appointees to the Board of Visitors via The Jefferson Independent
“On the First of July, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed five new members to the UVA’s Board of Visitors (“BOV”). Filling the seats of five outgoing members appointed by former Governor Ralph Northam, the new members comprise a new majority—14 out of 17—of Youngkin appointees on the BOV. The three minority seats are held by Northam-selected members. The latest wave of appointees includes Daniel Brody of Albemarle County, Virginia; Marvin W. Gilliam, Jr., of Bristol, Virginia; Dr. David Okonkwo of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; David F. Webb of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Porter Wilkinson of Bethesda, Maryland. Collectively, Brody, Gilliam, and Webb, donated $229,000 to Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign three years ago, according to records collected by the Virginia Public Access Project.”
UT Ranked 8th Worst University for Free Speech via The Texas Horn
“The University of Texas is one of the worst universities for free speech, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings released last week, UT was listed as the eighth worst university for free speech and was given a “poor” rating for speech environment. Last year, UT was ranked 10th worst, two spots better than this year. Harvard, Columbia, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California were all listed as worse than UT for free speech, while Stanford, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, MIT, Brown, and the University of California, Berkeley all fared better.”
Dean of Students Office Initiates Shift in Alcohol Policy at ASCMC Events via The Claremont Independent
“On Sunday, September 8th, the Executive Board of Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) announced a new policy regarding alcohol at 5C ASCMC events. Starting with Oktoberfest, ASCMC will begin hiring outside bartenders, and students must present their CMC ID to confirm that they are over 21 years of age in order to be served a drink. Previously, ASCMC had employed student bartenders. While they were required by policy to ask students for ID, enforcement was inconsistent.” |
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CATEGORY: ECONOMY (6 MIN)
There’s a stereotype of scholars in both the scientific and philosophical world. Some people think scientists fail to appreciate the fine arts and the more humanizing aspects of existence, and others might see philosophers as unable to cope with hard mathematical facts and the pragmatic world. Those caricatures might be unfair even today, but they at least fail to appreciate the depth of the most important minds in Western history.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, Ian Crowe delves into the work of Adam Smith, who’s most well-known for his Wealth of Nations. Crowe describes Smith as “both a scientist and a philosopher,” and he believes Smith’s ideas show modern Americans how to relate two vital concepts: natural liberty and ordered justice.
Crowe discusses both the Wealth of Nations and the Theory of Moral Sentiments, another Smith publication. Crowe says Smith understood the importance of the “human faculty of imagination” and the power of beauty while at the same time presenting a detailed model for economic flourishing. Crowe especially emphasizes Smith’s discussion of “sympathy” as a powerful human impulse.
“In Smith’s thought,” Crowe writes, “the sympathetic instinct may be found at the root of both the development of moral awareness and the material well-being deriving from an appreciation that one’s own needs (or self-interest) require cooperation and integration with the needs of ‘the other.’”
Read Crowe’s piece here on the Modern Age website.
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Thought of the Day:
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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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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