CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (5 min)
We don’t give couples enough credit.
Sure, it’s hard to imagine American conservatism starting without the brains of Russell Kirk.
But it’s harder to imagine conservatism lasting without the influence of his wife, Annette.
Beauty and the Bachelor
In this week’s Intercollegiate Review essay, historian Lee Edwards takes you behind the scenes to the love story and marriage of Russell and Annette Kirk.
She was a passionate and beautiful intellectual and philanthropist. He was a confirmed bachelor and tireless writer.
The Dream Team
Edwards’s essay reveals:
- How Russell wooed (and won) Annette
- How charitable works overflowed the Kirk’s home
- The Kirks’ influence on American conservatism and national politics
- How Annette advances her husband’s legacy today
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Two Thinkers Everyone Misreads:
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CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (5 min)
You’ve probably seen quotes by Hannah Arendt floating around social media (including ours) and in publications of all stripes.
Since 2016, she’s been invoked in response to a variety of threats.
But to be invoked isn’t the same thing as to be understood.
Arendt Was a Contra
In Public Discourse, Nathan Pinkoski wants to change that by allowing Arendt to speak for herself.
Pinkoski draws on this eminent thinker’s lesser-known writings to reveal:
- Hannah Arendt’s views on politics
- The three ways Jews can live in the modern world—and the way Arendt chose
- The blessing and curse of thinking independently
Chelsea Clinton misquoted Hannah Arendt—and got called out by a scholar who knew better.
Don’t be like Chelsea.
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CATEGORY: ECONOMICS (3 min)
Like Hannah Arendt, Edmund Burke is equally in danger of being misunderstood.
But this time, the confusion isn’t at the instigation of progressives—but conservatives.
The Burke Test
In the American Conservative, Kai Weiss observes a growing trend: more and more conservatives are endorsing big-government action.
What would Burke say? Here’s one example:
During a famine, Burke called upon Christians—not bureaucrats—to assist the poor. Pretty radical if you don’t understand his reasons.
Read Weiss’s article to hear the man out.
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CATEGORY: LITERATURE (46 min)
If you’re an English major, you probably get this question more than mosquito bites in an entire summer:
“So are you going to teach high school?”
Many people innocently assume that literature matters in high school—but nowhere else.
At Least It’s Not About Vampires . . .
But here are some better questions to ask: Why does literature matter? How does it impact culture? This archived lecture by Glenn Arbery is a deep-dive to search for answers.
If you or someone you know is studying English or literature, there is solace—and inspiration— to be found in Arbery’s lecture.
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