CATEGORY: PHILOSOPHY (19 min)

Socrates as a way forward

If you’ve read the biblical book of Acts, you might remember the story of the apostle Paul on Mars Hill in Athens. At this hill, a popular meeting place for Greek thinkers, Paul used contemporary philosophical works and religious beliefs to reveal to his listeners the truth of the “unknown God.”

Following in Paul’s footsteps, Dr. David Corey argues in The Imaginative Conservative that the life and thoughts of the legendary philosopher Socrates can lead to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Corey notes that there are many different interpretations of Socrates’ beliefs and personality, largely because he never published any works. Some see him as a progressive icon, others as an “absolute moralist,” and still others as a flawed but thoughtful theorist.

Corey holds to the third option, and he says that the gaps in Socrates’ thinking are precisely what highlight the need for God.

“Plato’s Socrates describes perfectly the kind of figure that salvation would actually require,” Corey writes.

Find out what implications this ancient philosopher’s beliefs might have for you today right here.

CATEGORY: HOMELESSNESS (8 min)

More homes, less waste

Most of America’s largest cities have seen a huge spike in homelessness over the past few years. You’ve probably seen signs of the epidemic if you’ve recently visited Washington, D.C., New York City, or Chicago, just to name a few.

One of the most significant increases in homelessness… and accompanying drug overdoses… has come in San Francisco. But it’s not for lack of funding.

Dr. Lawrence McQuillan points out that the city of San Francisco has poured $3.5 billion into creating affordable housing. And yet, for each homeless person the government provides a home for… four more become homeless.

What is going on?

McQuillan, in The American Conservative, argues that the flood of government dollars actually incentivizes more people to become homeless. And he says the police department’s lack of activity in clearing up public spaces has also contributed to the problem.

But McQuillan doesn’t stop there. He also offers San Francisco a solution—one based on a Texan city’s effort to support private ventures into reducing homelessness.

Discover McQuillan’s plan to truly help American cities 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: RELIGION (7 min)

The revelation of reason

Socrates’ thoughts are not the only aspect of the great philosopher that might point to Christian truths. The late Rev. James Schall, in an article for the ISI Archive in 2014, used the trial and death of Socrates in an attempt to unite the philosophical world of Athens and the revelatory religion of Jerusalem.

Schall explored the effect Socrates’ death had on his pupil Plato, who would go on to pen the account of his mentor’s unfortunate demise. The apparent injustice of this act, Schall believed, caused Plato to search for the places true justice could actually be found. And in doing so, Plato discovered eternal truths about humanity, particularly… the immortality of every person’s soul.

But, Schall wrote, there was something missing from Plato’s analysis.

“The completion of Plato lies in the resurrection, in the reality that sees not just the immortality of the soul but the acting person as the source of all reason,” Schall said.

Hear more of Schall’s reasoning and his analogies between the lives of Socrates and Jesus Christ here.

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