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

CATEGORY: CHRISTIAN HUMANISM (9 min)

10 C. S. Lewis Books Every Imaginative Conservative Should Read

We all know you can never read too much C. S. Lewis.

He was one of the most insightful and prolific Christian authors in history.

And almost 60 years after his death, Lewis’s writings still shape the conservative mind . . . 

. . . by emphasizing the importance of tradition, the threat of moral relativism, and the value of a true education.

So What Should You Read First?

If you want to go deeper with Lewis than The Chronicles of Narnia but are wondering where to start, the historian Bradley Birzer has you covered.

Birzer has put together the top 10 C. S. Lewis books every conservative should read.

The list includes:

1. 1. That Hideous Strength: find out why Birzer calls this sci-fi novel Lewis’s “greatest work of fiction” (a big claim!)
       
   2. The Abolition of Man: a deeply prophetic book whose message is more urgent today than ever
       
   3. Selected Literary Essays: perhaps the best collection of Lewis’s essays—and if you read nothing else, make sure you check out the first piece

Read on to see the other 7 books on Birzer’s list.

Did he miss one of your favorites? Let us know!

CATEGORY: EDUCATION (6 min)

Smith College: A Case Study in the Decline of Higher Education

What can a tiny women’s college in western Massachusetts tell you about the future of higher education?

A lot, it turns out.

You may have seen Smith College in the news lately.

This prestigious institution with a $2 billion endowment has become a battleground over racial bias.

The campus erupted in protests . . .

Longtime employees faced attacks and accusations of racism—even though an investigation revealed no evidence of discrimination . . .

And now a Smith employee has quit her job to protest the college’s mandatory training in critical race theory.

This Is the New Normal for Colleges

Universities all over the country have accepted critical race theory as suddenly—and uncritically—as Smith College has.

How did we get here?

Writing for Law & Liberty, Professor Geoffrey M. Vaughan gives you answers. He reveals the deep-seated problems that made the academy especially susceptible to this kind of ideological bullying.

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

“You Can’t Cut Me” via the Stanford Review

University Leaders’ Reaction to the Chauvin Verdict Was Irresponsible via the Eagle Free Press

CATEGORY: ENTREPRENEURIALISM (9 min)

Competition Is for Losers: Peter Thiel’s Secret to Success

How much of your life has been defined by competition?

Schools and the workplace are built around it. We even view it as a point of national pride.

Competition is at the heart of the free market and leads to innovation, right?

PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel begs to differ.

In this excerpt from his keynote speech at ISI’s 2014 Dinner for Western Civilization, Thiel shows how competition leads to conformity—and the damage that has done throughout our culture.

Thiel, a proud ISI alum, also gives the advice he wishes he had gotten when he was younger:

“Before getting swept up in the competitions that define so much of life, ask yourself whether you even want the prize on offer.”

Consider this free advice from one of today’s most interesting entrepreneurs.

ISI’s Inaugural Homecoming Weekend, June 25–26

One thing we hear a lot from ISIers: You come for the ideas, but you stay for the community.

So this June, we’re holding our inaugural ISI Homecoming Weekend!

This is your chance to experience what so many ISI students and alumni call the “ISI magic” . . .

. . . a heady combination of fellowship and intellectual renewal.

And it will be held on ISI’s bucolic 20-acre campus. If you haven’t been here, we highly recommend coming to see this beautiful home for the ISI community.

Register now. Special discounts are available if you’re under 30!

“The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless.”
—T. S. Eliot 

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