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Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Feb 6, 2025

1/ For nearly seventy years, as the sexual revolution has moved forward leaving so much carnage in its wake, there are people who have said (to themselves and to others): "This far, but no farther." They did not want to seem "unsophisticated," "unenlightened," "prudish," "unhip."

2/ As the revolution advanced, they would be shocked as barriers were broken, but would soon fall into line lest they appear "unsophisticated," "unenlightened," etc. For example, pornography would get coarser, more and more graphic, more and more widely available and public.

3/ As with social evils generally, the greatest costs would fall on the most vulnerable--beginning with children. The characterological and spiritual costs would simply be denied. The visible-from-space material costs would be ignored or defined away. ("The kids are alright.")

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Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Feb 13, 2024

1/ There seems to be a great deal of confusion about what advocates (like me) of Kalven Report institutional neutrality in non-sectarian universities are arguing such universities should be neutral about. We do not believe they should be neutral about the value of truth.

2/ Those of us who advocate Kalven Report institutional neutrality do not believe universities should be neutral on the question of free speech. We do not believe they should be neutral on the question of whether to adopt Kalven Report neutrality.

3/ There are certain substantive values to which we believe universities should be committed--above all the value of truth--and certain substantive principles and policies which they should adopt for the sake of those values. We believe that the pursuit of truth is facilitated by

Read 5 tweets

Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Jan 1, 2024

1/ I have respect and affection for the old-school liberals. They're people of integrity. And there were things they were right about, like civil rights and political free speech. In the 50s & 60s, their record on those issues was much better than the record of the conservatives.

2/ Today old-school liberals (Bill Maher's a good example) are in shock about Woke ideology's influence in the progressive movement and the Democratic Party. They see the illiberalism of the contemporary left as a betrayal of what they stood for. They're deeply distressed by it.

3/ There is truth in the idea that Woke ideology is betrayal of liberal values. But it's not the whole story. The whole story will require old-school liberals to engage in some serious self-critical reflection. There are respects in which they themselves bear responsibility.

Read 12 tweets

Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Dec 29, 2023

1/ On the question of what caused the Civil War, can there be a more eminent authority than Abraham Lincoln? What can we learn from him? We know that he did not fight the war to abolish slavery. He made that clear. And yet, he stated that slavery was indeed the cause. His words:

2/ "One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war."

3/ Lincoln continued: "To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest [i.e., slavery] was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it."

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Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Dec 18, 2023

1/ Over the past two months, the public has learned about some crazy things happening on college campuses. Folks are also now aware of some of the disturbing beliefs young people have come to adopt (e.g. 67% of 18-24 year-olds regard Jews as "oppressors"). What can be done?

2/ First, let's talk about what not to do. Don't further restrict free speech on campus. (Believe me, that will backfire.) Don't expand speech codes or further ramp up the power of DEI bureaucracies in the hope of, e.g., combatting anti-Semitism. It won't work.

3/ The problem is that universities have become ideological monocultures. Prevailing dogmas go unchallenged; dissenting opinions are rarely heard. Students are catechized, not taught. They assume that only an ignoramus or bigot would not agree with the campus orthodoxies.

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Robert P. George

@McCormickProf

Nov 13, 2023

1/ Repeating here what I've said elsewhere on this site. My friend Colin Wright has drawn some unfair criticism from religious folk who object to his expressing disappointment (as an atheist) that Ayaan Hirsi Ali has become a Christian. They view this as hostility to Christians.

2/ If someone thinks that someone else, especially a friend, has moved from a position he believes is true to one he believes false, of course he will be disappointed. That doesn't mean he's arrogant or regards himself as intellectually or morally superior, much less infallible.

3/ As Colin says in responding to his critics "We're all just feeling our way through life. I'm just trying to do the best I can, and am always open to other viewpoints. The fun conversation is where the magic happens."

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