We invite you to join the National Association of Scholars tomorrow at 2 pm ET for a discussion on the invention of the typewriter. We also invite you to join us on March 23 at 2 pm ET for a discussion on the relevance of Michael Oakeshott for today's conservatives, join us on March 24 at 11 am ET for a discussion on the DEI revolution going on within a top-ranked research university, and join us on March 24 at 2 pm ET for a discussion on Benjamin Franklin's inventions.

More on our upcoming webinars and additional events:

Join the National Association of Scholars on Tuesday, March 21 at 2 pm ET for "American Innovation: The Invention of the Typewriter."

The typewriter is the foundation of modern clerical and office work. In its heyday, it was used by millions of people, and it transformed the way we wrote.

How was the typewriter created? Who thought up the initial design, and how has that endured through to today's modern computer keyboards?

This event will feature Richard Polt, Professor of Philosophy at Xavier University and author of The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion for the 21st Century; Paul Robert, co-author of Typewriter: A Celebration of the Ultimate Writing Machine, and editor of "ETCetera" and "The Virtual Typewriter Museum"; and Peter Weil, co-author of Typewriter: A Celebration of the Ultimate Writing Machine.

To learn more about the event, click here.

Join the National Association of Scholars on Thursday, March 23 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 the National Association of Scholars on Friday, March 24 at 11 am ET for "Truth in the Postmodern University."

Cornell University is “is now dominated by an administration-sanctioned postmodern philosophy based on the idea that there is no objective truth, and that knowledge is a social construct created by those in power to victimize others.” So says Randy Wayne, Associate Professor of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, writing in a recent article in the Heterodox STEM substack.

For many years, Randy Wayne has been watching as an ideology that negates the very idea of science as a search for objective truth. He has been carrying on an increasingly lonely fight to defend the sciences against this corrosive ideology. Despite the odds, Randy characterizes the postmodern university as “salvageable.” You can read his thoughts on the Heterodox STEM substack.

This event will feature Randy Wayne, Associate Professor of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join the National Association of Scholars on Friday, March 24 at 2 pm ET for "American Innovation: Snatching Lightning—Benjamin Franklin."

Benjamin Franklin was a prolific inventor, and he excelled at turning his ideas into practical, publicly useful endeavors. From the Franklin Stove, to his campaign for public lighting, to his work harnessing electricity, Franklin was a key figure in harnessing energies for public use.

How did Benjamin Franklin develop his ideas? How did his inventions affect daily life for people of that day?

This event will feature E. Philip Krider, Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona School of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and author; and Hal Wallace, Curator of the Electricity Collections at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join the National Association of Scholars on Tuesday, April 4 for a special co-sponsored event. 

On Tuesday, April 4, at 7:30 pm ET, the MIT Free Speech Alliance and the Adam Smith Society are co-hosting a debate with the resolution: “Resolved, that academic DEI programs should be abolished.” The event will feature Heather Mac Donald and Karith Foster. You may register to attend the debate in person by clicking here.

Please note: non-MIT email addresses should register for the option “RSVP (Non-COVID PASS SOs, Guests)”, where you will then have to create a guest account.

If you can't attend our webinar 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/@NAScholars/streams.

I look forward to seeing you in the virtual audience!

Best,
Chance Layton
Director of Communications
National Association of Scholars