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CATEGORY: CULTURE (21 MIN)
In a culture with few institutions that bring people together, one classic endeavor continues to provide a haven for children, teenagers, and adults alike. The local library serves its community not only through the provision of dusty tomes but also by fostering rare indoor public spaces open to anyone who’s looking for a place to relax. They function as third spaces in a world where meaningful interaction is increasingly rare.
Writing in the London Review of Books, Anthony Grafton reviews two recent publications delving into the history of libraries. The first, The Study: The Inner Life of Renaissance Libraries by Andrew Hui, discusses the early days of libraries both private and public, crediting the early Renaissance scholar Petrarch with developing the modern private library. Grafton tracks Hui’s journey through the growth of the library during the Renaissance, discussing the opulent collections of influential men and women. Studies became “handsome, personalized spaces,” not just in Italy, but across Europe and beyond.
Grafton then discusses The Librarian’s Atlas: The Shape of Knowledge in Early Modern Spain by Seth Kimmel. Kimmel’s work covers, among other things, two huge libraries created in Spain by major figures. The first was the library of Hernando Colón, who was Christopher Columbus’s illegitimate son—he personally collected more than 15,000 books. The second was the Escorial, established by King Philip II, a majestic royal library that had an early cataloging system and became the forerunner to many other huge libraries in other major cities of Europe.
Grafton believes the “adventures” these early libraries provided can still be found today. Read more of his piece here.
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Weekly Poll
Results: July 24th, 2025
Do you think today's liberal arts colleges still serve their original purpose?
[A] Yes—8.6%
[B] No—87.9%
[C] Not Sure—3.4%
Are traditional libraries still valuable in the era of instant digital information?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Not Sure
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CATEGORY: EDUCATION (11 MIN)
Despite the prevailing anti-American sentiment in many educational environments today, most students are still required to take civics courses. But the content of those courses has changed substantially over the years. Now, some argue that civics curricula have lost their way and are not truly educating young citizens on the basics of being an American.
For The American Mind, Nathan Gill and Jose Arevalo urge substantial reform to American civics classes. They focus on three points: a proper understanding of our nation’s heritage, a renewed emphasis on love for the United States, and greater attention to “the most formative, heroic, and beautiful parts” of our country’s tradition.
The authors detail the sad state of affairs in many civics classes, where American cultural education has either become automated and boring or destructive and ideological. In the latter cases, the authors point to teachers who paint a picture of an America that deserves hatred for long-standing oppression and who instead urge students to become globalists and avoid patriotism.
Gill and Arevalo believe this trend is harmful to the American way of life. They trace our nation’s heritage, highlighting the importance of foundational principles of individual rights and religious institutions. They believe the American character is “industrious, independent, religious, and self-controlled.” And to foster that character, the authors assert that students must learn “affection, reverence, and gratitude” for the nation they live in.
Read more of Gill and Arevalo’s work here.
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CATEGORY: VIDEO
In his keynote at ISI’s 2025 Arts & Philosophy Summer School, Justin Shubow, President of the National Civic Art Society, explores how public architecture shapes civic life and national identity.
Drawing on examples from Athens to Washington, D.C., he champions classical architecture as a reflection of democratic ideals and civic virtue. He examines the legacy of the City Beautiful movement, critiques the rise of brutalism and modernism, and shares insights from his work on federal architectural policy.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Stanford Graduate Workers Union Attempts To Fire Students Who Refuse To Join Union via The Stanford Review
“On June 27th, many graduate students on campus received an ominous email titled ‘Termination Request’ sent by Stanford Graduate Workers Union (SGWU) leadership, including Liam Sherman, the Vice-President for Membership, and Orisa Coombs (who signed off on her emails as ‘UE Local 1043 President’), the president of the SGWU. The emails demanded that university administrators terminate the students immediately for simply failing to pay dues to the Union, as mandated by the recent collective bargaining agreement signed between the University and the student union in 2024.”
Connecticut College's Mutual Peers: Who Are They and How Are They Chosen? via The Conntrarian
“Every year, I look forward to the publication of one of my favorite articles by the Chronicle of Higher Education — ‘Who Does Your College Think Its Peers Are?’ — where they compile data using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (more commonly known as IPEDS) on approximately 1,500 institutions. To determine the eligibility of all the institutions involved, The Chronicle writes, ‘Data includes public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit degree-Granting four-year higher-education institutions in the United States that were eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid in 2023-24 and had a first-time, first-year undergraduate enrollment of 100 students or more. Institutions from the following 2021 Carnegie classifications are included: doctoral universities, master’s colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges,
baccalaureate/associate colleges with mixed baccalaureate/associate, special-focus four-year, and tribal colleges.’”
The Faith Harvard Forgot via The Harvard Salient
“It is hardly surprising that the current administration, given its recent record of aggressive intervention, has begun threatening Harvard’s accreditation. In fact, the only surprising part about the July 9th press release from the Department of Education (DOE) is that it took so long to arrive at what has plainly been its intention all along. President Trump has made no secret of his belief that Harvard has abandoned her duties as an institution of higher learning in favor of political activism and liberal indoctrination. No one with even the most passing familiarity with Harvard should find this announcement surprising.”
Mormon Women for Not-So Ethical Government via The Cougar Chronicle
“Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) was founded in January 2017, closely following President Trump’s first inauguration. Since then, the group has grown from a small Facebook group to a national network, hosting thousands of members. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time studying philosophy and ethics, I decided to join the group and see what they had to offer; I was sorely disappointed in what I saw. I saw a network of like-minded women banding together to be more active in their political climates, to share resources and opinions, and to plan events together that revolve around politics. I have yet to see a single post, comment, or resource that actually discusses ethics, or any sort of political philosophy behind current events. This is not, in fact, a group that advocates for ethical government. It is a group that advocates for their shared or
preferred ideology, with a concerning penchant for myopia and emotional reasoning. MWEG is the perfect real-life example of an echo chamber.” |
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CATEGORY: HISTORY (6 MIN)
Certain periods in world history have the unfortunate distinction of being overshadowed by others. For example, the various wars of succession in the 1700s receive little mainstream attention compared to the later American and French Revolutions. The same is true for the late 1800s in Europe, following the end of the American Civil War. But for those who were paying attention, one name dominated that era in the Old World: Otto von Bismarck.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, Francis P. Sempa discusses Bismarck’s history and philosophy. Sempa traces Bismarck’s background, noting that many saw him as an exceptional talent from a young age. His trademark realism about human nature emerged from the start of his career; in his time in parliament, he criticized overvaluing “romanticism” or “affection for foreign states” above logic and independence.
Bismarck, Sempa notes, was incredibly successful in his goal of German unification, taking Prussia into the modern era with victories over Denmark, Austria, and France. He later helped shape the European system of alliances that collapsed into global conflict in 1914, just over 15 years after his death.
Sempa honors Bismarck for his “tragic mind” that “counsels prudence.” “It recognizes limits, accepts the roles of chance and misfortune, and acknowledges the existence of evil,” Sempa writes. “Through it all, it seeks order and stability in international affairs.”
Read more of Sempa’s article on the Modern Age website here.
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Thought of the Day:
“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
– Otto von Bismarck
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