'The Constitution: An Introduction', by Michael Stokes Paulsen and Luke Paulsen

Reviewed by Samuel A. Alito, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, in the latest issue of Engage: The Journal of the Federalist Society Practice Groups

Reconstructing Atticus Finch?

Steven Lubet in the Michigan Law Review, available for download at Social Science Research Network

"Abstract:

"'Reconstructing Atticus Finch' is a reexamination of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The essay takes another look at Atticus's tactics in the defense of Tom Robinson, particularly from the perspective of the alleged victim, Mayella Ewell. The essay considers a previously unasked question: What if Mayella was telling the truth?

"Texts, especially literary texts, are always subject to reinterpretation. Notwithstanding the reaction of generations of readers, it turns out that To Kill a Mockingbird contains a submerged narrative in which Mayella's story of rape becomes credible.

"Once we contemplate the possibility that Mayella might have been raped, we can no longer unquestioningly accept Atticus Finch as a paragon of lawyerly virtue. It may be that he was simply another working lawyer, using the tools at hand in his best effort to exonerate a client. And since the crime was rape, Atticus used the time-worn strategy of attacking the victim's character. That tactic has been roundly condemned in other contexts; on the other hand, it may be the only available defense in a prosecution corrupted by racism.

"Viewing Mayella as a possible crime victim rather than as a conniving liar requires us to ask a series of uncomfortable questions. Do ethics depend on the guilt or innocence of one's client? Are some tactics simply impermissible? May stereotypes ever be exploited by trial counsel, even in defense of the innocent?"

Ann Althouse responded in the Michigan Law Review.

Baylor Great Texts

At Baylor University,

"Read foundational works of literature, politics, theology, and philosophy -- from Antiquity to the present -- in small, dynamic, seminar-style classes. Study masterworks in drama, music, and art. Engage important scientific writers of the past and present."

Ten Years of Reading in 'Great Books of the Western World'

At the Great Conversation Reading Group, "a list of the entire set of readings from Britannica's ten-year reading plan."

Here's another list of these readings, as found in the first edition of 1952, at Dan Becker. He added hyperlinks to online editions of many of the works, though some of the links no longer function.

New York Judge Grants Chimpanzees a Hearing

Jacob Gershman posted in Law Blog at the Wall Street Journal on the most recent developments in this case. (via Althouse)

From the Center: Adler on language; Natural v. Positive Law;

Recent communications with members of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas included:

• Montague Brown on cliches
• Mortimer Adler on language as one of the Great Ideas
• The beginning of an online discussion of Natural Law versus Positive Law

The key ingredient to having groupthink-free meetings is leadership

Reid Hastie posted at Quartz.

"not all meetings are pointless—and face-to-face dealings are indeed essential for certain types of decision making.

"Research I conducted with Cass Sunstein showed that leaders play a pivotal role in determining whether meetings lead to solutions or are hijacked by the tendency for 'groupthink.' We’ve highlighted several techniques managers can follow to bring out the best in their groups."

(via University of Chicago Magazine)

Game of Thrones and the End of Marxist Theory

Sam Kriss asks What would a properly materialist reading of Game of Thrones look like? at Jacobin (via Arts & Letters Daily)

From the Center: Adler on prejudices; for sale: Ring of Gyges;

Recent communications to members of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas included:

• Mortimer Adler on personal prejudices
• An email Great Ideas discussion was predicated on seeing the Ring of Gyges in Tiffany's window. "Of interest—of the 14 participants, 8 would not buy the ring and 6 would."

Paideia Institutes - July 2015

At the National Paideia Center, online registration for:

Introduction to Paideia Seminar, July 14-15

"The Paideia Seminar is an integrated literacy event built around formal whole class dialogue. The purpose for doing Paideia Seminar is to support students’ ability to think conceptually and communicate collaboratively.

"During these two days of professional development, teachers will participate in an adult Paideia Seminar and learn the key components for planning. We will talk about what makes a good text for seminar, how to design appropriate questions to invite students into collaborative thinking, and strategies for coaching balanced student participation. Teachers will practice facilitating short Seminars with their colleagues. In the end, teachers will have a set of Paideia Seminar lesson plans to practice with and use as models."

Leadership Institute July 27-29

"Leadership is the key to quality. Experience has taught us that an effective, sustainable implementation of the Paideia Program is based on strong, collaborative leadership at the school and district level. Join us for a three day Paideia Leadership Institute in which we work together on what it means to be an instructional leader of a Paideia School and building effective Leadership Teams dedicated to the systemic implementation of the Paideia program.

"Make plans for your Leadership Team (at least three key players at your school and/or district) to attend with the specific purpose of creating a detailed plan for your 2015-2016 school year."

Abortion as religion

Ann Althouse blogged on a Washington Post column "about a woman who, as a Jehovah's Witness, refused to accept a blood transfusion, and suffered the loss of her unborn child and then the loss of her own life". Quoting from the column,

"'Refusal of a lifesaving intervention by an informed patient is generally well respected, but the rights of a mother to refuse such interventions on behalf of her fetus [sic] is more controversial,' [doctors at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Australia wrote in a letter published this month in the Internal Medicine Journal]. 'A doctor indeed has moral obligations to both the pregnant woman, and perhaps with differing priority to the unborn fetus [sic].'"

Althouse remarks,

"Why did the WaPo columnist — By Elahe Izadi— or WaPo editor put '[sic]' after 'fetus'? The child died in utero. It seems as though somebody wants to get some distance between abortion rights and religious freedom rights. But that separation is not justified. Abortion rights — in America anyway — are premised on the woman's right to form her own beliefs:

'At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.' [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (U.S. Supreme Court, 1992)

"That's religion. Face it. Should a woman's concept of the universe dominate over the life of the unborn child or not?"

Put your feet up and read

How the Ottomans Ruined the 20th Century http://t.co/oFFKuor05K via @thedailybeast

— Badger Catholic ن (@badgercatholic) April 15, 2015

The search for extraterrestrials goes intergalactic

Odd results from outside the galaxy: one explanation might be power-hungry aliens http://t.co/0QWVRIOjto pic.twitter.com/50orYFkfp8

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) April 15, 2015

Announcing publication of Adler-Aquinas Institute Fellow Robert Trundle's new book

Fresh off the press from Brill Publishers is Robert Trundle's

Integrated Truth and Existential Phenomenology:

A Thomistic Response to Iconic Anti-Realists in Science

Anyone interested in this provocative work, please see:

http://www.brill.com/products/book/integrated-truth-and-existential-phenomenology

From the Center: Adler on labor, Giraldi on literature, new Fellows

Recent communications to members of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas included:

• Mortimer Adler on labor as one of the Great Ideas
• William Giraldi on the love of literature

Here at the weblog, we've moved the just-updated list of the Center's Fellows from the sidebar to a tabbed page, and added Symposium Great Books Institute to the sidebar blogroll.

ALI 2015 World Congress June 24th-29th

ANNOUNCING

THE SECOND ANNUAL AQUINAS LEADERSHIP INTERNATIONAL

SUMMER WORLD CONGRESS

ON RENEWING THE WEST BY RENEWING COMMON SENSE

Dear Colleagues,

As spring gets started, I write to inform you about the second annual Aquinas Leadership International World Congress at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, Long Island, NY. Dates for the Conference are: Thursday, 25 June to Monday, 29 June 2015, devoted to the topic:

“Atheism, Religion, and Common Sense”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas. As a result, part of our celebrations feature some events related to Mortimer J. Adler and the Great Books.:

Milt Rosenberg returns to radio

Reported by Robert Feder.

"Rosenberg, who turns 90 later this month, was forced to retire from WGN in 2012 after four decades as the erudite evening personality on the Tribune Media news/talk station.
[...]
"After he left WGN, Rosenberg began hosting an independent podcast on miltrosenberg.com. 'The radio show will basically be an extension of the podcast we started last year — same show, added platform,' [Producer Zack] Christenson said. 'We’re taking the weekly podcast we’ve been doing and extending it to five days per week and adding a terrestrial radio component.'"

The new radio home is WCGO, 1590 AM in the Chicago area. The new Rosenberg show will be on the air and on the internet live stream Noon to 2pm Central Time weekdays.

From the Center: Adler on human uniqueness; Concepts in Western Thought series

Recent communications to members of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas included:

• Mortimer Adler on evolution and human uniqueness
• Books in the Concepts in Western Thought series

Here on the weblog, we've added the Dead Philosophers Society of Holy Apostles College and Seminary to the sidebar blogroll.

How Magna is it?

The most important document in British history, explained @britishlibrary http://t.co/SDcnk7iXfo pic.twitter.com/z8BaoroQ1N

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 20, 2015

My dinner with Samuel

I always name my baked potatoes "Godot", so after everything else finishes and I'm still waiting for them, I at least feel a bit clever.

— Existential Comics (@existentialcoms) March 21, 2015

Every Russian Novel Ever

Mallory Ortberg at The Toast

Also, Every English Novel Ever

Britannica's Mortimer Adler Muses on Truth, Taste and Tomorrow

From forty years ago, Jerene Jones interviewed Mortimer Adler at People.

The interview drew one published letter to the editor.

GMO U N I

The human genome: a bit of insect, some worm, dash of mushroom. On genetically modified humans http://t.co/iNTR5UMnf3 pic.twitter.com/5N7alTCfN5

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 21, 2015

From the Center: Crichton on speculation, Adler on knowledge

Recent communications to members of the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas included:

• Michael Crichton on speculation in the media
• Mortimer Adler on knowledge as one of The Great Ideas
• A Thought for the Day on the cost of education
• Ian Ravenscroft Philosophizes about philosophizing
• Justin P. McBrayer on moral facts

Rognlie on Piketty

Jim Tankersley's Wonkblog post invites us to 'Meet the 26-year-old who’s taking on Thomas Piketty’s ominous warnings about inequality', at The Washington Post.

Magnitudes: Leadership for Something Greater than Yourself

Nathan Harter's work includes teaching in leadership studies at Christopher Newport University. In an essay in the latest issue of Humanitas he writes,

"I am not convinced there is a leadership book published in the last twenty years to surpass Aristotle’s Politics."

'So what does Paglia think of contemporary culture, with its openness to a wide variety of ever-proliferating gender, racial, and sexual identities?'

Hint: this Nick Gillespie and Todd Krainin interview at Reason is titled 'Everything's Awesome and Camille Paglia is Unhappy!'

(via Jay Gold)

The 12 Funniest Books Ever Written

Eleven nominations by Anthony Sacramone at Intercollegiate Review of eleven, leaving the twelfth for reader suggestions.

Like Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh.

What scares the new atheists

John Gray at The Guardian

"It’s probably just as well that the current generation of atheists seems to know so little of the longer history of atheist movements. When they assert that science can bridge fact and value, they overlook the many incompatible value-systems that have been defended in this way. There is no more reason to think science can determine human values today than there was at the time of Haeckel or Huxley. None of the divergent values that atheists have from time to time promoted has any essential connection with atheism, or with science. How could any increase in scientific knowledge validate values such as human equality and personal autonomy? The source of these values is not science. In fact, as the most widely-read atheist thinker of all time argued, these quintessential liberal values have their origins in monotheism."

The Problem With Reading Competitively

Claire Fallon at The Huffington Post

"There’s a quote I often see on literary Pinterests and Facebook walls, usually Photoshopped onto an image of dusty bookshelves: 'In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.' This quote, attributed to Mortimer J. Adler, the author of How to Read a Book, espouses an easy-to-love sentiment: It’s not about winning, but about having a rich experience. Yet how many of us self-identified bookworms love to casually drop into conversation that we read a book a day, or avidly update our Goodreads pages to ensure everyone knows we’ve read yet another book?"

(via Liliana Palermo at the Buenos Aires Herald)