The best of intellectual conservative thought.

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​​​​​​Note from the Editor: The Intercollegiate Review will be moving to Substack on February 13.

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CATEGORY: POLITICS (4 MIN)

The crossroads

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Donald Trump officially began his term as the 47th President of the United States this week after his inauguration on Monday. He launched his second tenure with a flurry of executive orders on topics ranging from immigration to government efficiency, and he’s surrounded himself with a largely new team of advisors this time around.

For his column in The New York Times, Ross Douthat discusses his thoughts on the future of the new Trump administration and what he thinks we can predict about the next few years. Douthat covers the range of possible outcomes and the signs that current prognosticators might have to build a potential picture of America’s new direction.

Douthat points out that Trump defies mere quantifiable logic. He believes that force of personality, natural occurrences, and even luck (or fortune) have shaped the past decade more than anything else. Therefore, Douthat says that any prediction in this “mythopoetic landscape” should be “dramatically fitting” to the current age.

Douthat ruminates on two conceivable directions for the future. It’s possible that Trump could decline—Douthat cites Napoleon’s return from exile—and that such a defeat could be “more total than the last.” But a great result also beckons, according to Douthat. Scientific innovation, potential American expansion, infrastructural improvement, and more peace across the globe are all potential successes, and Douthat is “rooting for” this result.

What do you think? Read Douthat’s column here with our NYT guest link.​

Read Now

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Weekly Poll

Did you like President Trump’s inaugural address?

[A] Yes

[B] No

[C] Unsure

[D] Didn't watch

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RESULTS: 1/16/2025

Should the government step in to stop misinformation on social media?

[A] Yes - 9.7%

​​​​​[B] No - 82.3%

[C] Not sure - 8.1%

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CATEGORY: CULTURE (19 MIN)

Be careful little eyes

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For many Americans, the 2007 debut of the iPhone is still a relatively recent phenomenon. But for an ever-growing number of people—especially young people—unrestricted internet access is the norm. And once children and young adults have entered the wide web of information, they invariably run across one of the darker and most addicting parts of the virtual world: pornography.

The Supreme Court recently held oral argument in the case of Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, in which groups challenged Texas’s law forcing age-verification on pornographic websites. Two writers of an amicus brief supporting Texas, Clare Morell and Brad Littlejohn, deliver their case in First Things for governmental support for parents in their battle against pornography.

Morell and Littlejohn marshal four points to argue for laws like those in Texas. They begin by noting that technology “disempowers parents.” Given the massive proliferation of smartphones and other internet-enabled devices, the authors say parents don’t have enough options to stop children from accessing porn once they have a device. Second, they note that even strong-willed parents can’t fight this battle alone. And low-income parents have even less of a chance.

Third and fourth, Morell and Littlejohn argue that technology creates collective action problems, and that this particular problem is a social injustice. They point out that laws don’t leave parents helpless when it comes to kids and driving. Why then, they ask, would laws leave parents helpless when it comes to kids and horrifically addicting videos that correlate with sexual and social deviancy?

Read Morell and Littlejohn’s article here.

Read Now

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CATEGORY: VIDEO

The Rise of Satanism in the Public Square and How to Fight It with Frank DeVito

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In this thought-provoking episode, Frank DeVito, counsel at Napa Legal, explores the complexities of defining religion in a pluralistic society and shares his fight against the rise of Satanism and attacks on traditional values. With his unique blend of legal expertise and philosophical insight, Frank unpacks the critical role of faith in preserving freedom and the importance of standing firm against cultural and moral decline.

Whether you’re passionate about defending religious liberty or seeking inspiration for today’s challenges, this episode offers compelling insights and practical guidance.

Watch Now

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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.

President Thaqi Sworn in After Student Government Removes Former President Chowdhury: January 14th Assembly Meeting

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via The Michigan Review

“At 7:30 PM on Tuesday, January 14th, Speaker of the Assembly Mario Thaqi was sworn in as the next president of the Central Student Government (CSG) at the University of Michigan. Mario Thaqi is the first-ever president inaugurated following the impeachment and removal of a previous president. An unprecedented impeachment trial ousted Former President Alifa Chowdhury last December. Former President Alifa Chowdhury, was elected last spring on the SHUT IT DOWN (SID) party platform of withholding student government funding to force the University of Michigan to divest from Israel and Israel-affiliated organizations. In his first address after assuming office, President Thaqi committed to restoring and reforming unfunded CSG programs. Thaqi specifically mentioned reforming the ‘SAFERide program,’ saying, “I’d like to focus on people with demonstrated financial need.” Historically, the SAFERide program, a free shared-ride taxi service, has been criticized as unnecessary
following the rise of rideshare apps like Uber and Lift. However, advocates argue SAFERide offers a cost-free alternative for lower-income students.”

AI Finds Widespread Radical Left Bias in PWR Classes

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via The Stanford Review

“It is no secret that Stanford is overwhelmingly liberal, with 93% of voters breaking for Biden in the postcode 94305. While this reflects the values of many students and faculty, it raises important questions about how such homogeneity might affect the range of perspectives presented in academic discussions. Stanford’s mandatory programme in writing and rhetoric (PWR) tasked with instructing students in writing is case in point. In order to better evaluate bias in course materials presented in these mandatory and introductory classes I compiled all available PWR syllabi from 2024 to 2025, including 306 assigned readings. I then asked the ChatGPT 4.0 model to give each assigned reading a political orientation score. What I found was shocking.”

A Haunting Revival: Robert Eggers’s “Nosferatu” Brings a Classic Back to Life

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via The Jefferson Independent

"Robert Eggers, known for directing “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse,” and “The Northman,” has once again proven he knows how to create a deeply immersive and unsettling atmosphere. In “Nosferatu,” he reimagines one of the oldest and most iconic horror films, taking FW Murnau’s 1922 classic of the same name and giving it a modern spin. Eggers’s signature style—meticulous period detail, atmospheric dread, and a commitment to historical authenticity—shines throughout the movie, making it as thought provoking as it is terrifying. “Nosferatu” comes with a fascinating history. The original was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which led to a lawsuit from Stoker’s estate. The court ordered all copies of the film destroyed, but thankfully, a few survived, and it became a horror classic. Eggers takes this legacy seriously, treating the material with both reverence and his own creative flair."

The Politics of the Playing Field: The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

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via The Texas Horn

"In a move guaranteed to ignite both applause and outrage—sometimes from the same household—the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The vote, 218-206, gives us a front-row seat to America’s favorite sport: cultural warfare. Spearheaded by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), the legislation redefines “sex” under Title IX as the biology and genetics you’re born with, not what you pick up along the way. It’s a legal shot heard ’round the locker rooms. This bill comes at a time when the topic of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports is as inescapable as pickleball. And while Lia Thomas may have taken home trophies—and think pieces—in 2022, it’s a recent college volleyball debacle that has set the nation spiking once again."

The 20th Anniversary of Larry Summers’ Remarks and the Debut of Cancel Culture

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via The Harvard Salient

"Twenty years ago, Harvard President Lawrence Summers delivered a speech at an economics conference which, as a later Crimson article asserts, “started the war.” As a student in 2005, I viewed the event as a simple battle between open inquiry and political correctness. As an alum looking back, I see it as the debut of what we know today as cancel culture. The conference was convened by the National Bureau of Economic Research to discuss diversity in the science and engineering workforce. In his remarks, which referenced various studies proposing explanations for the underrepresentation of women in STEM, Summers discussed the importance of rigorously thinking about ways to increase female representation."

CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (9 MIN)

Man: rebuilt

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If we know one thing about 2025 in its infancy, it’s this: AI is everywhere. Elon Musk maintains a humorous AI model called Grok on his platform of X (Twitter). An ever-growing number of commercials proclaim companies’ new AI products. And educators struggle to respond to the influence of AI assistance to students on tests and papers. What does this mean for the human experience?

For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, Gene Callahan compares the recent AI revolution to past instances of scientific innovation with accompanying speculation. Callahan relies in part on a 1956 book: Mircea Eliade’s The Forge and the Crucible, which tells the story of alchemy and its association with “utopian promises” with somewhat spiritual implications.

Callahan analogizes between large language models (LLMs) that power artificial intelligence and the early pagan understanding of metalworking and mining as laid out in Eliade’s work. Callahan says that modern “AI alchemists” are trying to break through the previously understood bounds of reality. And with that effort, Callahan sees danger.

“The new AI alchemists never seem to consider whether these silicon-based humans need a purpose,” he writes. “If his fantasy of a world in which most ‘humans’ are actually machines comes true, won’t any of them ever ask, ‘What is the point of all this computation?’”

Read Callahan’s article here on the Modern Age website.​​​​

Read Now

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Thought of the Day:



“You cannot give up on the American dream. We cannot allow our fears and our disappointments to lead us into silence and into inaction.”

​​​​​​

- Marco Rubio​​​

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