“From the very beginning, however, it was clear that these two intellectuals refused to succumb to the lesser angels of our present politics. Though their legal positions in Heller might have been antithetical, the two began their interviews, conducted separately, expressing a nearly identical sentiment: litigation is not the solution.”
Category Archive: Reflection
“Mr. Cass’ general view on climate change can be summarized as the following: it is happening and humans are causing it, but it is not as serious or urgent an issue as most people believe…the slight warming of the globe over a long period of time will be something humans can easily deal with, and he believes that the issue has been blown drastically out of proportion.”
AEI Scholar Roslyn Layton, recent guest of the Buckley Program and expert on Net Neutrality and digital privacy issues, provided this reading list for fellows including articles, blogs, podcasts, and book recommendations!
“…a great conversation about not only the state of politics but how the history of presidential power and restraint can help us better understand an often confusing administration.”
“For Bush, conservatism strives to create a future by learning from the lessons of the past. ‘If there was ever need for a Bill Buckley-like approach to transforming conservatism in this country, it is right now,’ Bush noted, pointing to William F. Buckley, Jr.’s trademark brand of intellectual, no-nonsense debate. ‘When there is a breakdown of public discourse, everyone loses.'”
“The Buckley Program is not a group of radical, ill-intentioned Conservatives trying to stay relevant through sensationalizing trivial news, but rather a group of conscientious and pragmatic thinkers who seek truth in a complex society—much as all Yalies are here to do.”
“[Governor Bush] highlighted that ‘our politics mirror culture.’ In his eyes, insults took precedence in 2016 not just as a result of the actions of our politicians, but because the culture of America condoned and even endorsed them.”
“Universities in particular, as opposed to the rest of the world, are supposed to be “safe spaces” where ideas can be vigorously debated. This is where that social progress occurs…by suppressing this here, we are stunting our social progress.”
In short, was the disagreement about facts, or about values? Erica responded that when people do not want to hear a message, they do not hear it. One implication of her message is that society is not putting the needs of children first. Pointing this out makes some people uncomfortable. Another implication of her message, she says, is that gender neutrality is a myth.
Amy Wax ’75, the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, addressed Buckley Fellows and guests on October 26th on the topic of “What Is Happening to the Family and Why?”. The following is one Fellow’s reflection on her talk.
Birth control destroyed marriage, according to Amy Wax (who cites Cheap Sex by Mark Regnerus). The advent of the pill has been the most significant change in incentive structure that has propelled the crumbling of marriage norms. Birth control came as a technological shock. The secular trend of female emancipation accelerated with the vote and with increased access to education, but that couldn’t have happened without reliable contraception. Birth control, after all, is what allowed women to participate in the workforce by allowing them to control their fertility.
Women have traditionally held the position of “gatekeeper” to sex. Women could set the terms for sex, terms with which men had to comply in order to access physical pleasure. These terms typically required men to be well-socialized enough to be a desirable marriage prospect. Put bluntly, most men had to get married or engaged to procure a steady supply of sex.
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