| From | Intercollegiate Review <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Fidelity, Not Pride: Reclaiming June |
| Date | June 5, 2025 10:47 PM |
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Conservatism’s Sharpest Voices, Curated Weekly | ISI’s Intercollegiate Review brings you the best in serious conservative thought.
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Note from the Editor: The Intercollegiate Review will be moving to Substack this Summer.
Substack offers a more convenient and accessible experience to you as the reader and will allow us to reach a wider audience.
We are grateful for your support of the Intercollegiate Review and are committed to keeping your subscription completely free as we move to Substack.
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (11 MIN)
"Prolific and Provocative:" A Pupil Remembers MacIntyre
[link removed]
Last week, Alasdair MacIntyre, the legendary thinker and author who wrote such classics as After Virtue and Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, died. MacIntyre had a tremendous impact on modern philosophy and on his students, many of whom went on to become influential teachers in their own right.
For Word on Fire
[link removed]
, one of those students retells MacIntyre’s story in remembrance. Dr. Christopher Kaczor describes MacIntyre’s life from his upbringing in Scotland and education in England to his longtime tenure at the University of Notre Dame. He traces MacIntyre’s religious progression, including Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, atheism, and finally Catholicism.
Kaczor discusses MacIntyre’s beliefs about the intertwining of ethics and history, citing the philosopher’s warnings against both a “dead antiquarianism” on one hand and “believing that the whole point of the past was that it should culminate with us” on the other. Kaczor also fondly recalls MacIntyre’s “acerbic wit,” including many scathing reviews of other scholars’ works and beliefs—even calling Aristotle a “supercilious prig.”
And Kaczor tells his own personal experiences as MacIntyre’s pupil. He remembers how the professor humbled his students with tough grades and the vibe of a “Marine boot camp instructor” while simultaneously supporting their careers, sending them to football games, and building their minds step by step.
Kaczor ends with a remarkable story about how MacIntyre may have brought John Lennon and Yoko Ono together. To hear it and more, read Kaczor’s article here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
How familiar are you with the work of Alasdair MacIntyre?
[A] Very familiar
[B] Somewhat familiar
[link removed]
[C]
[link removed]
[link removed]
Unfamiliar
[link removed]
RESULTS: 5/29/2025
As we approach America's 250th birthday, which do you think is most essential to spark a cultural renewal?
[A] Rekindling spiritual and religious values - 66.7%
[B] Reaffirming civic duty and patriotism - 25.9%
[C] Restoring beauty and the arts in public life - 3.7%
[D] Reviving classical education rooted in virtue - 3.7%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (14 MIN)
MacIntyre and the "New Postliberal Right"
[link removed]
Our remembrance of Alasdair MacIntyre continues with an article from Compact
[link removed]
by Nathan Pinkoski. Pinkoski reviews MacIntyre’s status as a singular thinker for his time. After an early dalliance with Marxism, Pinkoski notes that MacIntyre ended up rejecting that line of thinking but also did not join liberal thinkers—Pinkoski believes MacIntyre held on to his “prior conviction that liberalism and capitalism were likewise failures.”
Without Marx, then, Pinkoski says MacIntyre turned to Aristotle, whom MacIntyre thought could provide “coherent answers where Marxism and liberalism had failed.” Turning to MacIntyre’s seminal After Virtue, Pinkoski recounts MacIntyre’s belief that societies must use communities to cultivate virtues with the aim of achieving the good. But MacIntyre thought that liberalism and individualism led to a breakdown in moral discourse, according to Pinkoski.
In creating his new paradigm, Pinkoski argues, MacIntyre sought to draw on the historical tradition of Western civilization to foster “intellectual and moral inquiry.” But Pinkoski says the thinker had many challengers. Pinkoski points to three groups that he says challenged MacIntyre: those who opposed his conversion, those on both sides of the “liberal-communitarian debate,” and those in the mainstream academic channels.
Pinkoski concludes that despite MacIntyre’s political neutrality—indeed, he came out against both parties—modern right-wing thinkers who rejected liberalism have latched onto MacIntyre’s work.
Read more in Pinkoski’s article here.
[link removed]
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Jamie Wyeth Unveils Tribute Painting to Linda Bean
[link removed]
In a moving and memorable moment at ISI’s 18th Annual Gala for Western Civilization, acclaimed American painter Jamie Wyeth accepts the inaugural Linda L. Bean Prize for Advancing American Art & Culture.
In this exclusive video, Wyeth unveils a never-before-seen portrait he painted in honor of Linda L. Bean; reflects on Linda's legacy, values, and fierce love of American culture; shares humorous, heartfelt stories of friendship; and celebrates the enduring power of art to remember, uplift, and inspire.
The reproduction of the Island Funeral painting by N.C. Wyeth featured in this photo or video was on loan to ISI thanks to the Brandywine Museum of Art.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here
[link removed]
.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
INVESTIGATION: Uncovering Chinese Academic Espionage at Stanford
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“‘This summer, a CCP agent impersonated a Stanford student. Under the alias Charles Chen, he approached several students through social media. Anna*, a Stanford student conducting sensitive research on China, began receiving unexpected messages from Charles Chen. At first, Charles's outreach seemed benign: he asked about networking opportunities. But soon, his messages took a strange turn. Charles inquired whether Anna spoke Mandarin, then grew increasingly persistent and personal. He sent videos of Americans who had gained fame in China, encouraged Anna to visit Beijing, and offered to cover her travel expenses.”
Who Controls Education? American Identity Summit Panel Discusses Values, Power, and Politics in American Education
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“At the inaugural American Identity Summit hosted by the Chicago Thinker, the second panel consisted of four speakers debating American citizenship and the changing character of American education. The discussion focused on public school performance, the impact of teachers’ unions, parental rights, immigration, and the future direction of classroom instruction.
Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and a longtime political figure, argued that urban districts like Chicago “have gone off the rails,” blaming a politicized union leadership.”
NATO in the New World Order: Rose Gottemoeller Visits Dartmouth
[link removed]
via The Dartmouth Review
“On Thursday, April 3, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller visited campus to speak on NATO’s evolving role in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine. In a wide-ranging conversation with Victoria K. Holt, Director of the Dickey Center for International Understanding, Gottemoeller examined the recent shift in U.S. political dynamics under the second Trump administration and addressed growing concerns among European and Pacific allies about the reliability of U.S. commitments.”
WFU Music Professors Dan Locklair and Stewart Carter Retire After 43 Years
[link removed]
via The Wake Report
“As final grades are soon due for most students and Wake Forest University prepares for commencement on Monday, two music professors have finished up their last classes, but not just for the year. Dr. Dan Locklair and Dr. Stewart Carter have both been Professors of Music for 43 years, starting at Wake Forest the same year. Locklair, who is Composer-in-Residence in addition to being a professor of music, came to Wake Forest after teaching at Hartwick College in New York. He has been involved in all aspects of Wake Forest music such as convocations, chapel services, and the reshaping of the acoustics of Wait Chapel all while composing and teaching. He has taught Introduction to Western Music, Music in the Church, Music Theory III and IV, Orchestration, and Composition. In Composition, Locklair meets with students individually.”
FIRE’s New Report: Free Speech at Stanford is Improving
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“Across the country, university speech crackdowns are becoming bipartisan, targeting leftist and conservative students alike. At Stanford, they’ve all but disappeared. At least that’s what the latest report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), released today, indicates. Their “Students under FIRE” report documents and analyzes 1,014 attempts between 2020 and 2024 to “investigate, censor, or otherwise discipline” students and student groups for speech protected under the First Amendment.“
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (13 MIN)
Three Paths to Truth: Reviewing MacIntyre's Moral Enquiry
[link removed]
For this week’s article from the Modern Age
[link removed]
website, we roll back the years to 1992, when David Gallagher wrote a review of Alasdair MacIntyre’s Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry for Modern Age. Gallagher notes that MacIntyre discussed three methods by which moral questions and truth can be chased.
The first is “encyclopaedia,” in which proponents believe that all well-educated people would have a unified mindset that presented itself as “impartial and ahistorical reason.” It rejected any need for religious influence and relied upon a lecture style of presentation without any need to fight opposition. Both Gallagher and MacIntyre said this method is dead.
Instead, MacIntyre pointed to two other systems of moral inquiry: genealogy, which traces its roots to Nietzsche, and tradition, which traces its roots to Thomism. Gallagher lays out the issues with genealogy, noting that it builds nothing up on its own and denies an idea of universal truth. It merely undermines with no commitment to moral reality.
Thomistic tradition, according to MacIntyre and Gallagher, does accept absolute truth’s existence but it differs from encyclopaedia in that not everyone who is rational and educated can discover it. And, crucially, it has a strong reliance on history.
“In this way, MacIntyre maintains that truth is justified historically; present beliefs are accepted because, having defeated all rival answers, they are the best so far,” Gallagher wrote. “Clearly, then, within tradition the past is embraced and even cherished since it has generated and indeed renders intelligible the truth we now possess.”
Read more about these three methods of inquiry on the Modern Age
[link removed]
website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“At the foundation of moral thinking lie beliefs in statements the truth of which no further reason can be given.”
- Alasdair MacIntyre
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 © 2025, 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]
Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser
[link removed]
.
Note from the Editor: The Intercollegiate Review will be moving to Substack this Summer.
Substack offers a more convenient and accessible experience to you as the reader and will allow us to reach a wider audience.
We are grateful for your support of the Intercollegiate Review and are committed to keeping your subscription completely free as we move to Substack.
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (11 MIN)
"Prolific and Provocative:" A Pupil Remembers MacIntyre
[link removed]
Last week, Alasdair MacIntyre, the legendary thinker and author who wrote such classics as After Virtue and Whose Justice? Which Rationality?, died. MacIntyre had a tremendous impact on modern philosophy and on his students, many of whom went on to become influential teachers in their own right.
For Word on Fire
[link removed]
, one of those students retells MacIntyre’s story in remembrance. Dr. Christopher Kaczor describes MacIntyre’s life from his upbringing in Scotland and education in England to his longtime tenure at the University of Notre Dame. He traces MacIntyre’s religious progression, including Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, atheism, and finally Catholicism.
Kaczor discusses MacIntyre’s beliefs about the intertwining of ethics and history, citing the philosopher’s warnings against both a “dead antiquarianism” on one hand and “believing that the whole point of the past was that it should culminate with us” on the other. Kaczor also fondly recalls MacIntyre’s “acerbic wit,” including many scathing reviews of other scholars’ works and beliefs—even calling Aristotle a “supercilious prig.”
And Kaczor tells his own personal experiences as MacIntyre’s pupil. He remembers how the professor humbled his students with tough grades and the vibe of a “Marine boot camp instructor” while simultaneously supporting their careers, sending them to football games, and building their minds step by step.
Kaczor ends with a remarkable story about how MacIntyre may have brought John Lennon and Yoko Ono together. To hear it and more, read Kaczor’s article here
[link removed]
.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
How familiar are you with the work of Alasdair MacIntyre?
[A] Very familiar
[B] Somewhat familiar
[link removed]
[C]
[link removed]
[link removed]
Unfamiliar
[link removed]
RESULTS: 5/29/2025
As we approach America's 250th birthday, which do you think is most essential to spark a cultural renewal?
[A] Rekindling spiritual and religious values - 66.7%
[B] Reaffirming civic duty and patriotism - 25.9%
[C] Restoring beauty and the arts in public life - 3.7%
[D] Reviving classical education rooted in virtue - 3.7%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (14 MIN)
MacIntyre and the "New Postliberal Right"
[link removed]
Our remembrance of Alasdair MacIntyre continues with an article from Compact
[link removed]
by Nathan Pinkoski. Pinkoski reviews MacIntyre’s status as a singular thinker for his time. After an early dalliance with Marxism, Pinkoski notes that MacIntyre ended up rejecting that line of thinking but also did not join liberal thinkers—Pinkoski believes MacIntyre held on to his “prior conviction that liberalism and capitalism were likewise failures.”
Without Marx, then, Pinkoski says MacIntyre turned to Aristotle, whom MacIntyre thought could provide “coherent answers where Marxism and liberalism had failed.” Turning to MacIntyre’s seminal After Virtue, Pinkoski recounts MacIntyre’s belief that societies must use communities to cultivate virtues with the aim of achieving the good. But MacIntyre thought that liberalism and individualism led to a breakdown in moral discourse, according to Pinkoski.
In creating his new paradigm, Pinkoski argues, MacIntyre sought to draw on the historical tradition of Western civilization to foster “intellectual and moral inquiry.” But Pinkoski says the thinker had many challengers. Pinkoski points to three groups that he says challenged MacIntyre: those who opposed his conversion, those on both sides of the “liberal-communitarian debate,” and those in the mainstream academic channels.
Pinkoski concludes that despite MacIntyre’s political neutrality—indeed, he came out against both parties—modern right-wing thinkers who rejected liberalism have latched onto MacIntyre’s work.
Read more in Pinkoski’s article here.
[link removed]
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Jamie Wyeth Unveils Tribute Painting to Linda Bean
[link removed]
In a moving and memorable moment at ISI’s 18th Annual Gala for Western Civilization, acclaimed American painter Jamie Wyeth accepts the inaugural Linda L. Bean Prize for Advancing American Art & Culture.
In this exclusive video, Wyeth unveils a never-before-seen portrait he painted in honor of Linda L. Bean; reflects on Linda's legacy, values, and fierce love of American culture; shares humorous, heartfelt stories of friendship; and celebrates the enduring power of art to remember, uplift, and inspire.
The reproduction of the Island Funeral painting by N.C. Wyeth featured in this photo or video was on loan to ISI thanks to the Brandywine Museum of Art.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here
[link removed]
.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
INVESTIGATION: Uncovering Chinese Academic Espionage at Stanford
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“‘This summer, a CCP agent impersonated a Stanford student. Under the alias Charles Chen, he approached several students through social media. Anna*, a Stanford student conducting sensitive research on China, began receiving unexpected messages from Charles Chen. At first, Charles's outreach seemed benign: he asked about networking opportunities. But soon, his messages took a strange turn. Charles inquired whether Anna spoke Mandarin, then grew increasingly persistent and personal. He sent videos of Americans who had gained fame in China, encouraged Anna to visit Beijing, and offered to cover her travel expenses.”
Who Controls Education? American Identity Summit Panel Discusses Values, Power, and Politics in American Education
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“At the inaugural American Identity Summit hosted by the Chicago Thinker, the second panel consisted of four speakers debating American citizenship and the changing character of American education. The discussion focused on public school performance, the impact of teachers’ unions, parental rights, immigration, and the future direction of classroom instruction.
Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and a longtime political figure, argued that urban districts like Chicago “have gone off the rails,” blaming a politicized union leadership.”
NATO in the New World Order: Rose Gottemoeller Visits Dartmouth
[link removed]
via The Dartmouth Review
“On Thursday, April 3, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller visited campus to speak on NATO’s evolving role in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine. In a wide-ranging conversation with Victoria K. Holt, Director of the Dickey Center for International Understanding, Gottemoeller examined the recent shift in U.S. political dynamics under the second Trump administration and addressed growing concerns among European and Pacific allies about the reliability of U.S. commitments.”
WFU Music Professors Dan Locklair and Stewart Carter Retire After 43 Years
[link removed]
via The Wake Report
“As final grades are soon due for most students and Wake Forest University prepares for commencement on Monday, two music professors have finished up their last classes, but not just for the year. Dr. Dan Locklair and Dr. Stewart Carter have both been Professors of Music for 43 years, starting at Wake Forest the same year. Locklair, who is Composer-in-Residence in addition to being a professor of music, came to Wake Forest after teaching at Hartwick College in New York. He has been involved in all aspects of Wake Forest music such as convocations, chapel services, and the reshaping of the acoustics of Wait Chapel all while composing and teaching. He has taught Introduction to Western Music, Music in the Church, Music Theory III and IV, Orchestration, and Composition. In Composition, Locklair meets with students individually.”
FIRE’s New Report: Free Speech at Stanford is Improving
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“Across the country, university speech crackdowns are becoming bipartisan, targeting leftist and conservative students alike. At Stanford, they’ve all but disappeared. At least that’s what the latest report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), released today, indicates. Their “Students under FIRE” report documents and analyzes 1,014 attempts between 2020 and 2024 to “investigate, censor, or otherwise discipline” students and student groups for speech protected under the First Amendment.“
CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (13 MIN)
Three Paths to Truth: Reviewing MacIntyre's Moral Enquiry
[link removed]
For this week’s article from the Modern Age
[link removed]
website, we roll back the years to 1992, when David Gallagher wrote a review of Alasdair MacIntyre’s Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry for Modern Age. Gallagher notes that MacIntyre discussed three methods by which moral questions and truth can be chased.
The first is “encyclopaedia,” in which proponents believe that all well-educated people would have a unified mindset that presented itself as “impartial and ahistorical reason.” It rejected any need for religious influence and relied upon a lecture style of presentation without any need to fight opposition. Both Gallagher and MacIntyre said this method is dead.
Instead, MacIntyre pointed to two other systems of moral inquiry: genealogy, which traces its roots to Nietzsche, and tradition, which traces its roots to Thomism. Gallagher lays out the issues with genealogy, noting that it builds nothing up on its own and denies an idea of universal truth. It merely undermines with no commitment to moral reality.
Thomistic tradition, according to MacIntyre and Gallagher, does accept absolute truth’s existence but it differs from encyclopaedia in that not everyone who is rational and educated can discover it. And, crucially, it has a strong reliance on history.
“In this way, MacIntyre maintains that truth is justified historically; present beliefs are accepted because, having defeated all rival answers, they are the best so far,” Gallagher wrote. “Clearly, then, within tradition the past is embraced and even cherished since it has generated and indeed renders intelligible the truth we now possess.”
Read more about these three methods of inquiry on the Modern Age
[link removed]
website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“At the foundation of moral thinking lie beliefs in statements the truth of which no further reason can be given.”
- Alasdair MacIntyre
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 © 2025, 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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