Category: Education

Want to Fix the Universities? Here Are Two Options

Once upon a time, long, long ago—in May 2005, in fact—I wrote an essay for The New Criterion with the optimistic title “Retaking the University: A Battle Plan.” That was back when I believed that the educational establishment in this country could be rescued from its wasting captivity in the arid pandemonium of political correctness. … Continued

Who Will Convert Us? The Life of James V. Schall, S.J.

At the passing of a priest, age 91, who was also a profound scholar and inspiring teacher, one expects to see praise of his dozens of books, hundreds of writings, 60 years’ worth of lectures, and generations of students. In the case of Fr. James V. Schall, S.J., the longtime Georgetown University political theorist who … Continued

Decline and Fall: Classics Edition

For the study of classics, it is (if we may adapt Dickens) the best of times and the worst of times. It is the best of times because there are multiple popular initiatives, mostly outside the academy, introducing people young and old to the riches of Greek and Latin. There are even a few bright … Continued

American Babel

Back in June, a belligerent New York City attorney briefly became a symbol of “xenophobia” for those who make it their business to deconstruct what’s left of American identity. Viral video of his tirade in a restaurant over staff speaking to customers in Spanish served as but the latest example of what the media portray … Continued

Crazy Brainy Asians

The Justice Department last week filed a “statement of interest” on behalf of a lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University for discriminating against Asian-American applicants as a class. The government’s intervention is stronger than a mere “friend of the court” brief and portends a federal lawsuit against Harvard. To better understand any … Continued

‘Colorism’ and the Permanent Revolution

When the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered in Port Huron, Michigan, it is hard to imagine that they could have anticipated their coming success. On the 56th anniversary of that meeting beside the St. Clair, Americans find that nowhere was the “march through the institutions” more successful than in America’s colleges and universities. … Continued

The New Model Military

For the vast majority of Americans, the military is a source of pride. And because of the uncompromising nature of war, and the naturally masculine virtues of the military—courage, discipline, and duty—it tends to attract and foster people committed to a more culturally conservative approach to life. Demographics also are a factor; service members more … Continued

Tom Wolfe, 1930–2018: On the Late Literary Treasure

Editor’s note: This essay appears in the June 2018 issue of the The New Criterion. It is reprinted by their kind permission.  The passing of Tom Wolfe last month at eighty-eight was met, as was appropriate, by an outpouring of affectionate commemoration. True, the praise, the enthusiasm, the fondness was here and there punctuated by some sniffy (though generally envious) … Continued

The Great Wall of Harvard

President Trump’s vow to change a “rigged system” helped propel him to victory over stodgy supporters of “liberal” and “conservative” non-alternatives. His Department of Justice has sided with Asian-Americans claiming discrimination in admissions at Harvard and, again on their behalf, expressed interest in the possibility of antitrust violations in early admissions to elite schools. As … Continued

University of the Swamp

Is this just a gratifying dream or a frightful, dangerous fancy: to have a government agency that cracks down on the sources of intellectual and spiritual pollution the way the Environmental Protection Agency treats manufacturers that produce toxic pollutants? The dream is reality, at least in part, as evidenced by the recent  intervention and inquiry … Continued