CATEGORY: ABORTION (5 min)

Corruption of the consecrated

Normally, arguments in favor of abortion draw on clearly secular sources. Appeals to science, supposed rights, and mere convenience are all part of the arsenal.

But now, one medical journal is arguing for abortion by quoting… St. Augustine?

John Nawn says this is absurd.

In First Things, Nawn blasts the New England Journal of Medicine for daring to misconstrue the writings of the revered Christian scholar. The journal attempted to use Augustine’s quote, “an unjust law is no law at all,” to convince doctors to disobey pro-life laws and perform abortions illegally.

Nawn takes readers on a short journey through Augustine’s writings, focusing on his support for life in the womb and his true conception of justice. Augustine didn’t believe laws that protected life were unjust; he believed true justice would prevent harm.

“Enlisting Augustine's words on justice to support abortion, then, would appear to be an attempt to use justice for evil,” Nawn writes. “This seems to me to be not justice at all.”

Discover more of Augustine’s true thoughts on abortion and justice here.

CATEGORY: RACE RELATIONS (21 min)

Take the blinders off

Some progressives have a one-track mind about the root of many issues America faces today. Nearly every problem in our nation can be traced back to systemic racism, they say.

But the U.S. isn’t the only country where this argument is made.

Rian Malan, writing for Compact, reviews a new work blaming troubles in South Africa on a failure to sufficiently punish white citizens. The book is called The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning, authored by Eve Fairbanks, a former writer for The New Republic.

Fairbanks weaves a tale that seems to target white residents as the source of the country’s ailments, like increased crime and joblessness. If the nation would simply implement progressive change, she believes, these problems could go away.

Malan, a native South African, is not as convinced. He points out that his home country has in fact instituted many policies to give black citizens a leg up—but he says they’ve backfired.

Malan believes these programs, designed to correct for perceived racism, have caused the very problems Fairbanks attributes to racism itself.

Learn why Malan thinks Americans should learn an invaluable lesson from South Africa here.

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.

Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
 

CATEGORY: RUSSIAN HISTORY (17 min)

The godless revolution

In the early twentieth century, the once-proud Russian Empire fell to an energetic and brutal revolutionary power—the Bolsheviks. Many social and political factors contributed to this sudden collapse, but one reason stands above the rest.

“Men have forgotten God.”

At least, that’s what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn argued. Solzhenitsyn won the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1983. In receiving the prize, he delivered a stirring lecture on the Russian Revolution… and his words of warning should continue to caution the West today.

He traces the steady decline of the Russian Orthodox Church during the early modern period and notes the accompanying rise of secularism. This loss of faith, Solzhenitsyn argues, drove the masses to revolt and follow Communism as their new religion.

Solzhenitsyn admonishes the West to beware the same secularizing trends today.

“Our life consists not in the pursuit of material success but in the quest for worthy spiritual growth,” he counsels.

It is only through a return to God that we can forestall a dangerous future, Solzhenitsyn says. Read his powerful lecture in full here.

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.