This is my first ever Pollyanna post. I just wrote it in order to cheer myself about the world we live in. Consider it my New Year's present. We Live in the Best of Times We seem to be in a world that … Continue reading We Live in the Best of Times — Really
This post is the statement issued on October 11 by the president and provost of Stanford. To me, it's the best such statement by university leaders that I've seen in response to the Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing battle in Gaza. What I like is that they stay focused on the issues on … Continue reading Stanford Statement on Israel and Palestine
This post is a recent essay by David Brooks about how the Trumpers have a point. A key part of what they're objecting to is people like us, the residents of the highly credentialed American meritocracy who lord it over the unwashed who didn't go to Princeton or didn't go to college at all. As … Continue reading David Brooks: What If We’re the Bad Guys Here?
This post is a reflection on Max Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation,” which he gave in 1919 at Munich University. “Science as a Vocation” is the other famous speech he gave at Munich in 1917, which I posted here three years ago. Compared to the science lecture, it’s very long — 23,000 words — so feel free … Continue reading Reflections on Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation” and the Role of the Professor
This post is an essay by one of my favorite historians, Johann Neem. It's a review of a new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls, written by Will Branch. In this review, Neem examines the way that the divide between those who attended college and those who didn't has defined and defiled American politics in … Continue reading Johann Neem — Revenge of the Poorly Educated
This post is a recent essay by Eric Levitz, which was published in New York Magazine in October. Here's a link to the original. He explores an issue that has been a major concern of mine in recent years, the role that higher education has had in exacerbating political divisions in the US and elsewhere in … Continue reading Eric Levitz — The Diploma Divide
This post is a lovely essay by William Galston about the importance of character in political life, which was published recently in American Prospect. Here's a link to the original. His case in point is George Washington, whose own character was the key to American independence and the formative influence on establishing the American presidency. … Continue reading William Galston — When Character Reigned
This post is a reflection on Francis Fukuyama's new book, Liberalism and Its Discontents. The book provides the best and clearest discussion I've seen about the power and appeal of liberalism and the nature of the negative reactions it has been generating, especially in recent years. Attacked from both left and right, threatened by populist … Continue reading Francis Fukuyama — Liberalism and Its Discontents
This post is a reflection on Max Weber's "Politics as a Vocation," which he gave in 1919 at Munich University. "Science as a Vocation" is the other famous speech he gave at Munich in 1917, which I posted here three years ago. Compared to the science lecture, it's very long -- 23,000 words -- so … Continue reading Max Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation” and the Role of Professor
This post is a lovely essay by William Deresiewicz about what he calls "blue state culture." It's published in the current issue of Salmagundi, and it's available without paywall at this link . This issue of the magazine presents a series of responses to a powerful piece by David Brooks last fall in Atlantic, “How … Continue reading William Deresiewicz — On the Smug Dysfunction of the US Meritocracy
David Labaree on Schooling, History, and Writing 