CATEGORY: ART AND CULTURE (8 min)
We’re not talking about Dante and Rembrandt here. What about the stuff in pop culture?
Because it’s such a left-leaning domain, conservatives tend to greet art with deep suspicion.
Today’s pieces remind us of an important truth: We must forever remain attentive to and appreciative of art’s power to awaken and direct our attention.
Is Norman Rockwell great art?
No, writes Aaron Walayat in the Public Discourse. But that doesn’t mean his paintings aren’t valuable.
The line between “high culture” and “pop culture” is vexed, especially for conservatives. If you’re tempted to write off Rockwell as kitsch, Wayalat argues that you ought to reconsider.
Yes, Rockwell’s painting is poetry of the mundane. But his work expresses “real sentiment, not manufactured sentimentality.”
In fact, as he analyzes Rockwell’s distinctively American body of work, Wayalat argues that it might prepare us for something greater.
Read more to find out what and why.
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CATEGORY: MOVIE REVIEW (7 min)
Nathaniel Birzer has seen long-anticipated film and he thinks it’s great—“a high-concept, meditative, science-fiction film that really makes you think about some aspect of what it means to be human.”
Birzer reads Dune as presenting not the Rockwellian mundane but the sublime, with hidden depths that reward repeated viewing.
Dune invites us to contemplate a world in which humans are free to “think and act as self-determined and self-reliant individuals . . . not mere passive receivers of pleasure and pain.”
If you think that sounds like a timely message for our screen- and convenience-obsessed world, you’re right.
Read the full review to learn more about Dune’s post-digital vision.
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
The New Leftism at Princeton via the Princeton Tory
Computer Science department slams Rittenhouse, praises Ibram Kendi, promotes terrorist autobiography via the Stanford Review
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CATEGORY: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (13 min)
If you’re concerned by the lack of civil discourse both online and off, this week’s archive pull is for you.
In this Modern Age essay, Professor Ann Hartle reveals how civility arises from our ability to overcome the desire for power, and how we can reintroduce this virtue to society.
The way she contrasts Machiavelli with Michel de Montaigne makes this a must read.
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The ISI Honors Program, Application Deadline: January, 15
The Honors Program is a highly selective year-long mentoring fellowship for only the most promising undergraduates.
This year’s Honors Conference will be held July 10-16, in Philadelphia—the birthplace of the American constitution!
Why would you want to be ISI Honors Scholars? Because you'll enjoy the kind of experience most college students can only dream about, all with the aim of encouraging serious thought and growth.
The application deadline is January 15, 2022. Apply today!
This unique experience includes:
- A community of brilliant students and professors. Honors Scholars are welcomed into a tight circle of bright minds from numerous colleges and fields of study. It’s like joining an intellectual club.
- An all-expenses paid week-long summer conference. Yes, you read that right. We pay for you to attend a week-long intellectual retreat. You get to read classic works, have rich discussions with students and professors, and experience historic Philadelphia.
- Invitations to exclusive seminars throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. Through the year you’ll be invited to intimate gatherings of students and a handful of professors to dive deeper into the themes you explored during the weeklong summer conference.
- An alumni network that includes scholars, authors, government officials, journalists, attorneys, judges, and more. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute network features some prominent names—and the Honors Program is your induction into this impressive community. From Supreme Justice Samuel Alito to Reason editor Katherine Mangu-Ward, you’ll be counted among brilliant and influential people, all of whom are making a difference in every part of society.
And those are just a few of the benefits of becoming an ISI Honors Scholar. Students will also enjoy:
- Academic Mentorship. Each Honors Scholar is paired with a mentor to guide and assist you through your academic career—and sometimes beyond!
- Intellectual Rigor. ISI students and alumni are noted for their intellectual caliber. By becoming an Honors Scholar, you experience—and advance—the clarity of thought that universities used to be renowned for.
- Special Preference. Honors Scholars are given priority when it comes to future ISI conferences, events, and even scholarships.
- Lifelong Friendships. Many Honors Scholars have described their Honors experience as life-changing. That’s because the friendships they made were just as significant to their growth as the education.
- Thought Leadership. Honors Scholars have the opportunity to become leaders as well as thinkers, no matter where they go after college.
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“To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so, is something worse.”
—John Quincy Adams
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Thank you for reading. Share with a friend!
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Who We Are, What We Do
Too many college students feel isolated or attacked for questioning the ever-narrowing range of debate on campus.
We introduce you to the American tradition of liberty and to a vibrant community of students and scholars so that you get the collegiate experience you hunger for.
Get the college experience you deserve—before you graduate.
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