| From | Intercollegiate Review <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Explorers, expense, and excellence |
| Date | October 17, 2024 6:08 PM |
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The best of intellectual conservative thought.
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CATEGORY: HISTORY (4 MIN)
The ocean blue
[link removed]
President Joe Biden’s office sent out two proclamations at the end of last week. One marked the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day—a non-federal holiday. It was just over 1,200 words. The other marked the celebration of Columbus Day—a federal holiday for more than five decades. That proclamation came in at under half the length of the other, and it barely mentions Columbus himself.
In The Imaginative Conservative, Bradley J. Birzer, winner of ISI’s 2016 Conservative Book of the Year Award, discusses the attempts to erase the memory of Columbus and writes on the various people who can claim to have discovered America. Birzer cited scholars who have blasted Columbus—one even called him worse than Hitler. Statutes of the explorer faced defacing and repeated attack.
Birzer urges a defense of history and then turns to talking about that history. He mentions five possible options for non-American Indian people who may have come to America before Columbus. Many know of the factually confirmed Norse Vikings who did so, but Birzer runs through four others.
He starts with conjecture that the Japanese and Chinese may have come to the West Coast. But the only evidence for either of these options, Birzer admits, are artifacts looking like Japanese pottery. He then discusses the Irish monk St. Brendan the Navigator and the Welsh Prince Madoc (known as Mad Dog) and their claims to have journeyed to America.
Read Birzer’s article here.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
Do you think Columbus Day is worthy of celebration?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Not sure
[link removed]
RESULTS: 10/10/2024
Should the US be doing more to support Israel?
[A] Yes - 71%
[B] No - 24.7%
[C] Not sure - 4.3%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: CULTURE (4 MIN)
Surgeries and cents
[link removed]
One of the most potent cultural battles today centers around the existence of transgender surgeries for children and teenagers. Some Republican states have worked to ban those procedures and at least to require parental consent, while some Democratic states have opened their doors to youth who want the surgeries. Incentives for those opposing surgeries are clear: protect American children. But what are the incentives for those on the other side?
For National Review, Stanley Goldfarb and Roy Eappen reveal the huge financial motivations behind encouraging people to medically alter their bodies. Although not all the data is public, Goldfarb and Eappen estimate that gender-transition surgeries will soon become a billion-dollar industry. Their research shows that the average procedure makes around $8,500 for providers.
Worse, the surgeries create repeat customers. “When a child receives puberty blockers, which some hospitals provide to children as young as age nine, there’s a 98 percent chance that the child will go on to receive cross-sex hormones. One in three will eventually have surgery,” Goldfarb and Eappen write.
They note that many major children’s hospitals have since opened or expanded gender-treatment centers, drastically increasing access for young people to “invasive and irreversible treatments.”
Read their piece with our NR guest link here.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Reagan & Nixon Revisited | George Will, Lord Conrad Black, Dan McCarthy, & Susan Hanssen
[link removed]
This dynamic panel discussion, held at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s annual Homecoming event, brought together four leading voices in conservative thought to explore the legacies of two pivotal American presidents—Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Moderated by Dr. Susan Hanssen, associate professor of history at the University of Dallas, the conversation delved into the complex political and intellectual histories of these two figures and their impact on American conservatism.
The panel featured:
Lord Conrad Black, renowned historian and former media mogul, offered insights drawn from his biographies of Nixon and his broader reflections on American politics, placing Nixon’s accomplishments and shortcomings in the context of post-war conservatism.
George Will, the eminent political columnist and author, known for his elegant prose and deep conservatism, provided a critical perspective on the Reagan Revolution, discussing Reagan’s transformation of the Republican Party and his role in shaping the modern conservative movement.
Dan McCarthy, editor of Modern Age, contributed a nuanced understanding of how both Nixon and Reagan’s administrations navigated foreign policy challenges and built new conservative coalitions, highlighting how their legacies continue to influence the American right today.
Dr. Hanssen, with her expertise in American intellectual history, expertly guided the discussion, weaving together the panelists’ perspectives and prompting them to consider how Reagan and Nixon’s distinct approaches to governance, public rhetoric, and policy have shaped the ongoing debates within conservatism.
The panel offered a robust and thoughtful examination of these two towering figures, sparking lively debate and drawing valuable connections between their historical legacies and the contemporary conservative movement.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Momoduo Taal Reinstated, But Banned From Campus
[link removed]
via The Cornell Review
“On Oct. 10, Momoduo Taal, a graduate student who was suspended for his role in the disruption of the ILR Job Fair on Sept. 18, posted on X that he had been reinstated as a student. Yet, he cannot return to the campus. Taal wrote “We also know that there are several outside forces who are applying pressure to ensure my removal but we have prevailed thanks to all those who wrote in, signed the petition and applied pressure. Taal was suspended on Sept. 23, following his leadership and participation in the disruption of a career fair held in the Statler Ballroom. At first, Taal appealed his suspension to VP Ryan Lombardi, who upheld it. Because his suspension affected his academic work, he was entitled to a second appeal to Interim Provost John Siliciano ’75. Siliciano emailed his decision to Taal today. Taal will be allowed to remain in Ithaca to complete his doctoral dissertation remotely, but will be banned from campus.”
UVA and the Modern Tech Arms Race
[link removed]
via The Jefferson Independent
“With the new School of Data Science complete, the University of Virginia has already seen significant interest and investment by the United States government to employ these capabilities in the rapidly evolving modern technology landscape. A new organization was established this fall, called the National Security Data and Policy Institute, that combines various branches of study at UVA to address the nation’s national security issues. However, the institute, led by Batten School Professor Philip Potter, is not the only symptom of the U.S. government’s desire to increase their competitiveness in current and future data ecosystems. This effort at UVA can be seen as part of a broader and global competition for talent and access which has marked the twenty-first century, and especially the past decade.”
A Call For Persuasive Means In College Protests
[link removed]
via The Claremont Independent
“I attended October 7th’s pro-Palestine protests as a reporter for the Independent, and observed the occupation of Pomona’s Carnegie Hall. I entered the building from the back door at approximately 12:45 P.M., having to push through the locked arms of three masked demonstrators as a Pomona dean informed them they were not allowed to bar access to 5C students. One of them grabbed me around my stomach, but eventually released me. I turned to my friend and said, “That was surprisingly more fun than I thought it would be.” The protesters gave no indication of amusement. Inside, the basement floor of Carnegie Hall was filled with damage. Most chillingly, “INTIFADA” was spray-painted in red inside the elevator, the paint running down in messy streaks. I went to the main floor of the building, and whenever I walked past student protesters, they would pull their masks up and use their keffiyehs to cover their faces as I took pictures of the scene. As soon as I
entered the main foyer, students shut the doors to the room where most were gathered, not allowing anyone except those donning keffiyehs to enter. I managed to grab one picture, the protestors looking directly at the camera, a deer-in-the-headlights expression painted across each of their faces.”
Ramaswamy, Bolton Debate America’s Foreign Policy
[link removed]
via The W&L Spectator
“On the evening of October 3, 2024, The Steamboat Institute sponsored a debate pitting former Republican presidential candidate and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy against John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor under the Trump administration and Ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush.
They debated the following resolution: “The United States should use its diplomatic and military power around the globe to ensure America’s national security.” The event was hosted at the Virginia Military Institute by the Center for Leadership and Ethics. John Bolton, with decades of experience and representing the “hawkish” old guard of the Republican Party traditionally supportive of American international involvement, was in favor of the statement. Vivek Ramaswamy, representing the Republican party’s new isolationist inclinations, was in opposition.”
CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (4 MIN)
Looking to lead
[link removed]
Polling indicates that some Americans in both political parties are dissatisfied with their current candidates. Many people have voiced their concern that at work, in schools, and on the nation’s biggest stages, there are no true leaders anymore. But the lack of talented, driven, moral leadership in this country has no quick fix. Instead, it takes hard work, dedication, and good role models to raise a new generation of trailblazers.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, ISI President Johnny Burtka and Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen discuss the examples from our past that can shape the future of American leadership. In the first installment of our new “Daring Greatly” series, Burtka interviews Deneen about the concept of “statesmanship” and how rising statesmen can promote the common good.
The two spend some time talking about Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of The Prince, and his advice for political leaders. Burtka discussed Machiavelli and other legendary counselors in his recent book Gateway to Statesmanship, and Deneen agrees that the Italian author had much to give to future leaders-in-training.
“I think Machiavelli brings together the two cities [heavenly and earthly], and that’s what’s revolutionary in the post-Christian age,” Deneen says. “It’s not eliminating Christianity, it’s not saying let’s go back to the pre-Christian era, but it now makes Christianity politically tractable.”
Read their discussion, and watch the full interview online, here on the Modern Age website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.”
- Aristotle
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.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
unsubscribe from all emails
[link removed]
update subscription preferences
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Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser
[link removed]
.
[link removed]
CATEGORY: HISTORY (4 MIN)
The ocean blue
[link removed]
President Joe Biden’s office sent out two proclamations at the end of last week. One marked the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day—a non-federal holiday. It was just over 1,200 words. The other marked the celebration of Columbus Day—a federal holiday for more than five decades. That proclamation came in at under half the length of the other, and it barely mentions Columbus himself.
In The Imaginative Conservative, Bradley J. Birzer, winner of ISI’s 2016 Conservative Book of the Year Award, discusses the attempts to erase the memory of Columbus and writes on the various people who can claim to have discovered America. Birzer cited scholars who have blasted Columbus—one even called him worse than Hitler. Statutes of the explorer faced defacing and repeated attack.
Birzer urges a defense of history and then turns to talking about that history. He mentions five possible options for non-American Indian people who may have come to America before Columbus. Many know of the factually confirmed Norse Vikings who did so, but Birzer runs through four others.
He starts with conjecture that the Japanese and Chinese may have come to the West Coast. But the only evidence for either of these options, Birzer admits, are artifacts looking like Japanese pottery. He then discusses the Irish monk St. Brendan the Navigator and the Welsh Prince Madoc (known as Mad Dog) and their claims to have journeyed to America.
Read Birzer’s article here.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
Do you think Columbus Day is worthy of celebration?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Not sure
[link removed]
RESULTS: 10/10/2024
Should the US be doing more to support Israel?
[A] Yes - 71%
[B] No - 24.7%
[C] Not sure - 4.3%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: CULTURE (4 MIN)
Surgeries and cents
[link removed]
One of the most potent cultural battles today centers around the existence of transgender surgeries for children and teenagers. Some Republican states have worked to ban those procedures and at least to require parental consent, while some Democratic states have opened their doors to youth who want the surgeries. Incentives for those opposing surgeries are clear: protect American children. But what are the incentives for those on the other side?
For National Review, Stanley Goldfarb and Roy Eappen reveal the huge financial motivations behind encouraging people to medically alter their bodies. Although not all the data is public, Goldfarb and Eappen estimate that gender-transition surgeries will soon become a billion-dollar industry. Their research shows that the average procedure makes around $8,500 for providers.
Worse, the surgeries create repeat customers. “When a child receives puberty blockers, which some hospitals provide to children as young as age nine, there’s a 98 percent chance that the child will go on to receive cross-sex hormones. One in three will eventually have surgery,” Goldfarb and Eappen write.
They note that many major children’s hospitals have since opened or expanded gender-treatment centers, drastically increasing access for young people to “invasive and irreversible treatments.”
Read their piece with our NR guest link here.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Reagan & Nixon Revisited | George Will, Lord Conrad Black, Dan McCarthy, & Susan Hanssen
[link removed]
This dynamic panel discussion, held at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s annual Homecoming event, brought together four leading voices in conservative thought to explore the legacies of two pivotal American presidents—Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Moderated by Dr. Susan Hanssen, associate professor of history at the University of Dallas, the conversation delved into the complex political and intellectual histories of these two figures and their impact on American conservatism.
The panel featured:
Lord Conrad Black, renowned historian and former media mogul, offered insights drawn from his biographies of Nixon and his broader reflections on American politics, placing Nixon’s accomplishments and shortcomings in the context of post-war conservatism.
George Will, the eminent political columnist and author, known for his elegant prose and deep conservatism, provided a critical perspective on the Reagan Revolution, discussing Reagan’s transformation of the Republican Party and his role in shaping the modern conservative movement.
Dan McCarthy, editor of Modern Age, contributed a nuanced understanding of how both Nixon and Reagan’s administrations navigated foreign policy challenges and built new conservative coalitions, highlighting how their legacies continue to influence the American right today.
Dr. Hanssen, with her expertise in American intellectual history, expertly guided the discussion, weaving together the panelists’ perspectives and prompting them to consider how Reagan and Nixon’s distinct approaches to governance, public rhetoric, and policy have shaped the ongoing debates within conservatism.
The panel offered a robust and thoughtful examination of these two towering figures, sparking lively debate and drawing valuable connections between their historical legacies and the contemporary conservative movement.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Momoduo Taal Reinstated, But Banned From Campus
[link removed]
via The Cornell Review
“On Oct. 10, Momoduo Taal, a graduate student who was suspended for his role in the disruption of the ILR Job Fair on Sept. 18, posted on X that he had been reinstated as a student. Yet, he cannot return to the campus. Taal wrote “We also know that there are several outside forces who are applying pressure to ensure my removal but we have prevailed thanks to all those who wrote in, signed the petition and applied pressure. Taal was suspended on Sept. 23, following his leadership and participation in the disruption of a career fair held in the Statler Ballroom. At first, Taal appealed his suspension to VP Ryan Lombardi, who upheld it. Because his suspension affected his academic work, he was entitled to a second appeal to Interim Provost John Siliciano ’75. Siliciano emailed his decision to Taal today. Taal will be allowed to remain in Ithaca to complete his doctoral dissertation remotely, but will be banned from campus.”
UVA and the Modern Tech Arms Race
[link removed]
via The Jefferson Independent
“With the new School of Data Science complete, the University of Virginia has already seen significant interest and investment by the United States government to employ these capabilities in the rapidly evolving modern technology landscape. A new organization was established this fall, called the National Security Data and Policy Institute, that combines various branches of study at UVA to address the nation’s national security issues. However, the institute, led by Batten School Professor Philip Potter, is not the only symptom of the U.S. government’s desire to increase their competitiveness in current and future data ecosystems. This effort at UVA can be seen as part of a broader and global competition for talent and access which has marked the twenty-first century, and especially the past decade.”
A Call For Persuasive Means In College Protests
[link removed]
via The Claremont Independent
“I attended October 7th’s pro-Palestine protests as a reporter for the Independent, and observed the occupation of Pomona’s Carnegie Hall. I entered the building from the back door at approximately 12:45 P.M., having to push through the locked arms of three masked demonstrators as a Pomona dean informed them they were not allowed to bar access to 5C students. One of them grabbed me around my stomach, but eventually released me. I turned to my friend and said, “That was surprisingly more fun than I thought it would be.” The protesters gave no indication of amusement. Inside, the basement floor of Carnegie Hall was filled with damage. Most chillingly, “INTIFADA” was spray-painted in red inside the elevator, the paint running down in messy streaks. I went to the main floor of the building, and whenever I walked past student protesters, they would pull their masks up and use their keffiyehs to cover their faces as I took pictures of the scene. As soon as I
entered the main foyer, students shut the doors to the room where most were gathered, not allowing anyone except those donning keffiyehs to enter. I managed to grab one picture, the protestors looking directly at the camera, a deer-in-the-headlights expression painted across each of their faces.”
Ramaswamy, Bolton Debate America’s Foreign Policy
[link removed]
via The W&L Spectator
“On the evening of October 3, 2024, The Steamboat Institute sponsored a debate pitting former Republican presidential candidate and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy against John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor under the Trump administration and Ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush.
They debated the following resolution: “The United States should use its diplomatic and military power around the globe to ensure America’s national security.” The event was hosted at the Virginia Military Institute by the Center for Leadership and Ethics. John Bolton, with decades of experience and representing the “hawkish” old guard of the Republican Party traditionally supportive of American international involvement, was in favor of the statement. Vivek Ramaswamy, representing the Republican party’s new isolationist inclinations, was in opposition.”
CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (4 MIN)
Looking to lead
[link removed]
Polling indicates that some Americans in both political parties are dissatisfied with their current candidates. Many people have voiced their concern that at work, in schools, and on the nation’s biggest stages, there are no true leaders anymore. But the lack of talented, driven, moral leadership in this country has no quick fix. Instead, it takes hard work, dedication, and good role models to raise a new generation of trailblazers.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, ISI President Johnny Burtka and Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen discuss the examples from our past that can shape the future of American leadership. In the first installment of our new “Daring Greatly” series, Burtka interviews Deneen about the concept of “statesmanship” and how rising statesmen can promote the common good.
The two spend some time talking about Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of The Prince, and his advice for political leaders. Burtka discussed Machiavelli and other legendary counselors in his recent book Gateway to Statesmanship, and Deneen agrees that the Italian author had much to give to future leaders-in-training.
“I think Machiavelli brings together the two cities [heavenly and earthly], and that’s what’s revolutionary in the post-Christian age,” Deneen says. “It’s not eliminating Christianity, it’s not saying let’s go back to the pre-Christian era, but it now makes Christianity politically tractable.”
Read their discussion, and watch the full interview online, here on the Modern Age website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.”
- Aristotle
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.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
unsubscribe from all emails
[link removed]
update subscription preferences
[link removed]
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