The best of intellectual conservative thought, every Thursday. Subscribe here to receive the Intercollegiate Review in your inbox every week.

CATEGORY: HIGHER EDUCATION (8 min)

Political Correctness and the Death of Education

What does it take to be a good teacher?

Philosophy professor Richard Cocks believes that it requires a deep knowledge and appreciation of our past.

Students need someone who will teach them the great works of the Western tradition with a sense of gratitude.

So what happens when teachers develop a hatred for Western culture?

Destroying Inherited Wisdom

Writing for VogelinView, Cocks makes a strong argument that politically correct education doesn’t reframe our history . . . 

 . . . it destroys it.

Too many professors ignore the West’s extraordinary achievements and cultural works.

They simply condemn the past. Politics replaces scholarship.

Is it any wonder that so many young people resent their heritage—and try to tear it down?

Give Cocks’s piece a read and let us know whether you agree.

CATEGORY: CONSERVATIVE HEROES (1 hour)

Roger Scruton, Civilization, and Conservatism

Sir Roger Scruton had a name for the anti-Western mindset that Richard Cocks writes about: “the culture of repudiation.”

Scruton was the most forceful and eloquent critic of this rejection of our cultural inheritance.

He was what you might call a “humane conservative.”

He grounded his political philosophy in art, culture, and a belief in objective standards of beauty.

So how did Scruton develop his conservative philosophy?

Professor Daniel J. Mahoney tells the story in our newest podcast.

Plus, you’ll get to hear from Scruton himself. The podcast includes a brilliant short speech that he gave during ISI’s 2019 Gala for Western Civilization.

As Mahoney says, in only 11 minutes Scruton touches on all the great themes of his life and career.

Give this episode a listen for a memorable encounter with one of the greatest conservative thinkers of the past half century.

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

Students Sue University Over COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement via the Crimson Post

Hate Speech and Its Consequences via the Hitching Post

CATEGORY: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (20 min)

A Philosophy of Fear: Thomas Hobbes and the Response to COVID-19

Do you remember the fear that gripped the world when the COVID-19 pandemic began?

It was an understandable response.

But many activists attacked people who didn’t seem fearful enough . . . 

 . . . who dared to raise questions about the trade-offs involved in lockdown policies.

As Modern Age editor Daniel McCarthy pointed out at the time, this philosophy that prioritized fear and death over everything else wasn’t new.

It could be traced back to the philosopher Thomas Hobbes.

More Afraid of Death Than in Love with Life?

In this article from the spring of 2020, McCarthy explains why Hobbes believed that fear was the necessary starting point for a political order . . . 

 . . . and how that belief survives in modern liberalism.

The Future of American Political Economy Conference, July 23–24

One of the biggest questions facing conservatives is whether we need to rethink our approach to the economy.

That’s why ISI is hosting The Future of American Political Economy Conference July 23–24 in Alexandria, Virginia.

During this weekend conference, you’ll hear from an all-star roster of conservative thinkers as they discuss solutions to the threats of Big Tech censorship, our trade relationship with China, and a market economy that seems increasingly anti-family.

Registration is only $50 if you’re under 30, and if you’re currently a student, admission is free!

Reserve your spot now to hear from prominent speakers like:

• J. D. Vance, author of the #1 bestseller Hillbilly Elegy—who is considering a run for the U.S. Senate
• Senator Marco Rubio
• Amity Shlaes, bestselling author of The Forgotten Man and Coolidge
• Jeff Sessions, former U.S. attorney general
• Judge Neomi Rao
• . . . and nearly 20 others!

“Conservatives tend to begin from gratitude for what is good and what works in our society and then strive to build on it, while liberals tend to begin from outrage at what is bad and broken and seek to uproot it.”

―Yuval Levin, who will accept ISI’s 2021 Conservative Book of the Year award

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