What C.S. Lewis and F.A. Hayek have in common

It’s said that what joins men together is not the sharing of bread but sharing of enemies.
 
That was the case with “fusionism,” the alliance of libertarians and traditionalists that for decades defined conservatism: They both hated communism. 
 
Was that fraying alliance just a historical coincidence? Writing in The New Atlantis, Howe Whitman III suggests there are deeper symmetries in play.
 
To prove it, he builds an argument that might surprise you—using F.A. Hayek . . . and C.S. Lewis.
 
Both Lewis and Hayek were animated by a profound suspicion of scientism. They were convinced that the overconfident application of “science” to human society was a highway to tyranny.
 
Whitman sees evidence aplenty in our world that both men were right . . .
 
. . . and he suggests that this shared intellectual heritage gives libertarians and traditionalists plenty to resist together today.

The hardest question we face today

Can virtue even be taught? And what will become of America if the answer is “no”?
 
The Imaginative Conservative brings you this gem from Russell Kirk in which he tackles those very questions.
 
It turns out the question of whether you can teach virtue goes back a long time.
 
Socrates answered it with a “yes.” Virtue and wisdom are the same.
 
Nonsense, replied Aristophanes. Virtue is habitual, and inherited.
 
Hold up, said Aristotle: There are actually two kinds of virtue—intellectual, and moral. You can teach the former, but the latter comes from habit.
 
Kirk brings this discussion into contemporary America. If Aristotle is correct about how virtue is acquired, we are in deep trouble . . .
 
. . . both because of our schools . . . and our habits.
 
You’ll find insight and inspiration in Kirk’s words. But as you read his critique of American culture, the scariest part might just be the essay’s original date of publication.
 
What do you think Kirk would say if he could see America today?

Gala for Western Civilization 

October 13 will be a night to remember.

At ISI’s sixteenth annual Gala for Western Civilization in Washington, D.C., you and hundreds of other ISI friends and supporters will partake in an evening that will be unforgettable.

This year ISI will be showcasing top academic talent across three disciplines: political theory, economics, and history. We want to provide our alumni and supporters with an opportunity to experience some of the greatest conservative minds of our generation. The evening’s speakers include:

• Chair of the Department of History at the University of Dallas, Susan Hanssen, who will give the keynote address
• The William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Government, Harvey C. Mansfield, who will receive ISI’s Charles H. Hoeflich Lifetime Achievement Award
• Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Economics at Brown University, Glenn Loury, who will receive ISI’s Faculty Award

It should be a wonderful evening full of great conversation.

The problem of "compassionate conservatism"

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