We invite you to join us TODAY for a discussion of sociologist Philip Rieff, tomorrow for a discussion of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, and on Friday for a discussion of Michael Oakeshott's political thought. Plus, tune in next week for our final webinar of the year, where we will discuss Wendell Berry's relevance to today's conservatives! 

Our webinar "American Innovation: Rocket to the Stars," which was originally scheduled for this Thursday, has unfortunately been cancelled. We will resume the American Innovation series on January 10, 2023, with "Satellites—Sputnik to the International Space Station."

More on our upcoming webinars:

Join NAS TODAY at 3 pm ET for "Right Ideas: Philip Rieff."

Philip Rieff was a sociologist and cultural critic, best known for his The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith after Freud. Recently, there has been a revival of interest in Rieff’s work, especially as critiques of modern therapeutic culture have become more widely adopted.

In this “Right Ideas” webinar, we will discuss Philip Rieff and his relevance to contemporary conservative thought. The webinar will feature Jerry Muller, Professor Emeritus of History at Catholic University of America, and J.D. Haltigan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry Child & Adolescent Division at the University of Toronto. The discussion will be moderated by John Sailer, Research Fellow at the National Association of Scholars.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join NAS TOMORROW at 2 pm ET for a discussion of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep.

“You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that, oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell. Me, I was part of the nastiness now. Far more a part of it than Rusty Regan was.”

What makes The Big Sleep a great American novel? Why does The Big Sleep focus so much on atmosphere? Would this become a standard in later crime fiction? Who influenced Chandler's writings, and who did his writings influence?

The webinar will feature Leonard Cassuto, Professor of English at Fordham University; Sean McCann, Kenan Professor of the Humanities at Wesleyan University; and Otto Penzler, President and CEO of Mysterious Press and proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop. The discussion will be moderated by John Sailer, Research Fellow at the National Association of Scholars.The discussion will be moderated by John Sailer, Research Fellow at the National Association of Scholars.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join NAS this Friday, December 16, at 2 pm ET for "Right Ideas: Michael Oakeshott."

"To be conservative ... is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the possible, the limited to the unbounded, the near to the distant, the sufficient to the superabundant, the convenient to the perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss." So wrote Michael Oakeshott in his 1956 essay "On Being Conservative."

Michael Oakeshott (1911–1990) was an English philosopher and political theorist, whose long career as a scholar helped define a distinctive vision of conservative thought.

This "Right Ideas" webinar will feature a discussion between Baylor professor of political science Elizabeth Corey and NAS fellow John Sailer on the work and relevance of this unique scholar.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join NAS next Monday, December 19, at 3:30 pm ET for "Right Ideas: Wendell Berry."

Wendell Berry is an author, poet, essayist, and farmer. For decades, he has written about the importance of place, and how modern society has contributed to the dissolution of local attachments. And though his work is often critical of those across the political spectrum, he has nonetheless influenced many contemporary conservatives. This “Right Ideas” webinar will delve into the relevance of Berry for today’s conservatives.

The webinar will feature Jeffrey Bilbro, Associate Professor of English at Grove City College, and Joshua Hochschild, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Mount St. Mary's University. The discussion will be moderated by John Sailer, Research Fellow at the National Association of Scholars.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

If you can't attend the events live, you can still register to watch the recordings. All registrants will receive a follow-up email with a link to the recording shortly after each event.

If you have missed any of our past events or webinars, you may find all of our recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/user/NAScholars/videos.

I look forward to seeing you in the virtual audience!
 

Best,
Chance Layton
Director of Communications
National Association of Scholars