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Peter Lawler
Professor of Government, Berry College
Peter Lawler is Dana Professor of Government and former chair of the department of Government and International Studies at Berry College. He serves as executive editor of the journal Perspectives on Political Science, and has been chair of the politics and literature section of the American Political Science Association. He also served on the editorial board of the new bilingual critical edition of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. He has written or edited fifteen books and over 200 articles and chapters in a wide variety of venues. He was the 2007 winner of the Weaver Prize in Scholarly Letters.rnrnLawler served on President Bush's Council on Bioethics from 2004 – 09. His most recent book, Modern and American Dignity, is available from ISI Books.rnrnFollow him on Twitter @peteralawler.
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So, yes, I watch American Idol–not obsessively or religiously, but whenever I can. It’s a conservative show. It promotes a meritocracy based on singing excellence, and that excellence is not […]
This expert explains why in a very detailed and most plausible way. Here’s one taste: Is the United States more prone to higher levels of anxiety than other nations? Put simply, […]
It’s no secret that most of our colleges that give lip service to “liberal education” don’t deliver it, and what they do teach exaggerates—not moderates—the undignified confusion of our time. […]
That’s what this study shows. Actually, the study is pretty modest–not to mention Finnish. But the expert doesn’t hesitate to draw global implications from it. One conclusion: The Left is more […]
So you may have noticed I haven’t posted on any movies lately. That’s because I haven’t seen any I liked or hated enough to talk about. I did just see […]
I have to admit I’ve been warming up a bit to the out-there techno-optimism of Ray Kurzweil displayed so prominently on BIG THINK. He (like lots of people) has been […]
Here’s an artice that explains well why Congress should get the national government out of the radio and TV business. A taste: NPR’s defenders would respond indignantly to this argument by […]
That’s the question Bill Schneider asks in his somewhat unfriendly but useful article. He surveys the likely 2012 Republican presidential candidates with the support of Tea Partiers in mind. The […]
I’ve gotten a couple of very thoughtful emails about my dissing the idea of practical altruism, including a very long one. Basically: They’re accusing of me of being a KANTIAN! […]
So I know you’ve missed me: Well, I’ve been busy hearing about various scientific accounts of virtue at the meeting of the recipients of the University of Chicago Science of […]
This New Republic author shares with us abundant evidence that Republican leaders of various kinds have turned on Sarah Palin. It’s true enough that many were seduced by the promise of […]
I will talk about the work of each of the speakers below over the next few weeks. But it should be clear enough that this conference will explore most of […]
If you remember, I’ve decided to “celebrate” the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War by remembering failures of Southern and Confederate statesmanship. My first post affirmed the […]
So I’ve been thinking some about the fact that “The Social Network” portrays people–even techno-meritocrats–as worse than they really are. I’ve been criticized, of course, for not recognizing the artistry […]
Those who pass for heroes these days—those at the top of our meritocracy defined largely by productivity—display none of the virtues of the heroes of the past.
The blogging scientist Minerva agrees with ME against the transhumanist on the future pressure to design or enhance your offspring or else. She’s surprised that it’s possible to agree with someone […]
Listen, I’m too old to REALLY care about Lady Gaga. But I’ve seen her on a couple of award shows and interviewed on SIXTY MINUTES. I gotta admit it: She […]
The transhumanist Kyle Munkittrick has come after me for not making arguments. Mainly he seems ticked off that I speculated that the biotechnological enhancement of children might well not be so […]
So I’ve said before evolution is getting more personal. I’m now going to say a few things about the personal point of view of our time. I’m just trying to […]
So the BIG THINKers have reminded us that one of the most personal and technologically promising ideas of our time is DESIGNING BABIES–or making the result of our reproduction better than natural. I’ve […]