HERBERT LONDON: In the Name of Humanities
Massey, Theodore Roosevelt Malloch and Scott T.
quently rushed through without any debate. It was notunusualforasenatortoknownothingmoreabout a bill than the recommendation from his legislative aide on how he should...
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...In 1996, four years before he retired, Washingtonian magazine published an article on the judges of that court...
...Can liberalism withstand the onslaught of fanaticism...
...To say that Florence King doesn't suffer fools gladly is an understatement akin to suggesting that Fred Astaire could maneuver quite nicely on the dance floor...
...However, all is not lost...
...He looked at me quizzically and said, "We too believe in scientific study, but I don't understand the need for the humanities...
...Hewasinquiring,atthebehestofanofficialinReagan's JusticeDepartment,whetherhewouldbeinterestedin becoming a judge...
...As a concluding coda they offer 36 propositions to achieve these ends...
...To my surprise, they have answers...
...In the Name of Humanities AT A RECENT MEETING with an administrator at a Chineseuniversity,Iwasaskedtodescribethe components of an ideal college curriculum...
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...Moreover, the core principlesofWesterncivilizationtransmittedthroughhistory, philosophy, and literature have been trivialized by anemphasisonrelativismandspecializedcourses.The foundationalvaluesofourWesternheritagehavebeen put in the cauldron of semiotics and emerged as selfcentered opinion...
...Its alumni include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and John Roberts, who was nominated to the D.C...
...It was notunusualforasenatortoknownothingmoreabout a bill than the recommendation from his legislative aide on how he should vote...
...In the interviews and in his own annotations, he offers details about the workings of the D.C...
...But the cultivation of judgment grounded in the example of history and philosophy does provide the intellectual nourishment for sustaining the truths of life...
...In the mid-eighties, another telephone call came from his brother Bill...
...how do we leave our mark;andwhatpurposedoour lives serve...
...The humanities have become the intellectual orphaninAmericanuniversitiesincreasinglyobsessed with vocational aspiration...
...And even more significantly, how can a new generation create the conditions for every human being to enjoy the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...
...But the judge has to add his own comment, and it is along the lines the reader has come to expect: "That happens not to be the case (and I am in a far better position than the Washingtonian to make that judgment...
...The consequence is that context, relationships, and the flow of historyarelost.Studentsarerudderlessinaseaofnarrowlyfocusedofferings...
...Theodore Roosevelt Malloch and Scott T. Massey have written Renewing American Culture: The Pursuit of Happiness, a book designedtosparkadialogueaboutthehumanities.As the authors note, their thesis is predicated on core principles, how they may be renewed, and ultimately the manner of dissemination...
...What needs to be preserved...
...Unfortunatelynotonlyisthecaseforthehumanities not made in China, it is not made in the United States...
...Surely neither the good life nor the good society can be reduced to a set of rules, notwithstandingthe36propositionsinthisbook...
...Furthermore, damage has resulted from a faculty disinclination to teach general courses...
...IfthereisademurralIhave,inthetrulyredemp-tive spirit of this book, it is in the omission of anydiscussionofintolerantmotivationsthat have gained influence in tolerant societies...
...In fact, they maintain that religion should find common ground with new nonreductive scientific models...
...And can the humanities discover a role in defining governance for today's world...
...Among its findings: James Buckley "has emerged by consensus of liberals and conservatives alike as the finest appellate judge...
...There is no doubt that a new century has new challenges.Butwhiletheauthorsrecognize the unique characteristics of modernity, they wisely assert the need to protect endangered cultures against the globalization and homogenization impulse...
...Rather than a history of Western civilization--to cite one example--professors choose to teach an area of specialization, e.g., the French Revolution...
...Malloch and Massey recognize that without deep intellectual and creative energy the efflorescence of life-affirming choices is limited...
...Suppose nihilism--as evidenced by jihadism--gains traction in life-affirming societies...
...901, Arlington, VA 22209 Deja Reviews: Florence King All Over Again - Selections from National Review and The American Spectator Get the very best of Miss Florence King from both National Review and The American Spectator in our new book, Deja Reviews...
...Circuit upon Buckley's retirementin2000...
...Here he had, among other assignments, the delicate task of persuading Pakistan that it should restore its security ties with the American government...
...First,andinmyjudgmentforemost,theytakeon the critics, the naysayers who either dismiss Western ideals or create existential standards that suggest the past offers little guidance for the present...
...It is worth reminding ourselves, as this book does, that the humanities are a critical source of civic mindedness that is ultimately essential to our form of democracy.MallochandMasseyaffirmthispointwith clarity,precision,andoptimism.That,Ishouldhastily note,isnosmallfeat...
...they ask...
...After debating with himself about his qualifications, he eventually said yes and was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the DistrictofColumbiaCircuit,consideredbymanytobe, after the Supreme Court, the most important court in the country...
...Which may be why any collection of her writings goes off like a fireworks display...
...That is the lesson the humanities convey...
...Any attempt at transition between the blasts would be ludicrous, like playing a waltz between artillery barrages...
...Please call 800.524.3469, visit www.spectator.org/DejaReviews, or mail a check to: The American Spectator, 1611 N. Kent Street, Ste...
...By the end of this book, the reader has many reasons to say what its author never would: James Buckley is a man with so much to be proud of...
...Circuit and insights into the judicial philosophy that guided him during his 15-year tenure...
...Based on my four decades of university experience, Iexplained the need for a balance of three general disciplines: natural science, social science, and the humanities...
...AfterleavingtheSenate,hereturnedbrieflytoprivatebusiness,butwassoonbackinWashingtonfollowing the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, serving as Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance...
...Unafraid to B O O K SI NR E V I E W 7 2 T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C T A T O R A P R I L 2 0 0 7 B O O K SI NR E V I E Herbert London is president of the Hudson Institute, professor emeritus at New York University, and author of Decade of Denial (Lexington Books).Renewing American Culture: The Pursuit of Happiness by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch and Scott T. Massey (M&M SCRIVENER PRESS, 203 PAGES, $28) Reviewed by Herbert London B O O K SI NR E V I E W A P R I L 2 0 0 7 T H E A M E R I C A N S P E C T A T O R 7 3 deride death, which awaits us all, the authors attempt to take into account the economic, spiritual, and social forces that give life meaning...
...It is in this part of the book, concerning his years on the bench, that Buckley is the most revealing...
...In what sense do the humanities serve as armor against this intellectual assault...
...People magazine "The lady knows nothing of mediocrity...
...They embracetechnologyandscienceasfactorsthatshape the humanities, yet realize that science has its limitations...
...For just $24.95 (includes S&H) take a trip down memory lane, or begin the journey anew with these delightful selections of Miss King's voluminous collection of essays from 1991-2002...
...They drill downtothecoreofthehumanistic perspective by addressing the questions: Why are we here...
Vol. 40 • April 2007 • No. 3
