Junior Ian Atherton is an English major and Vice President of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, where he oversees the house’s internal affairs. He took a break from schoolwork and intramural sports to sit down with The Forum to discuss his winning short story, “Lemons”. F What’s your normal writing process? Do you have one? Lemons was a funny one—I needed to submit a writing sample … Continue reading Interview with the Author
The following story was found among the many records of the Hillsdale Admissions Office. Dated Wednesday, 17 October 2012, it is an account of an exchange between a soon-after fired student ambassador and a prospective student and his parents. Reader discretion advised. I knew to pay attention the moment I heard his voice echo through the 2nd floor hallway of Strosacker. One part soothing or … Continue reading Admissions Office Records by Andy Reuss
What if Harry Potter is Real? Are you ready to lose any and every preconceived notion of reality? Are you ready to believe in magic? If so, this is the wrong class for you. While Appalachian State University may be able to offer a course on the implications of the possible truth of the Harry Potter tales, too few Hillsdale students have read the series, … Continue reading Hillsdale College Course Catalogue by Andy Reuss
This is a new regular feature for The Hillsdale Forum, taking the place of our “Professor’s iPod” feature of years past. Sarah Albers ran a music blog for several years before giving it all up to…study, or whatever it is Hillsdale students do that takes all their free time. We hope to receive many tidbits of smarmy hipsterness from our new contributor, and we hope … Continue reading Tragically Hip—Album Review: Reflektor
Does the Bible call all Christians to abandon the enforcement of immigration laws? The potential economic, cultural, and national security threats posed by illegal immigration fuel the common conservative conviction that all undocumented workers ought to be brought to justice. Yet often believers instinctively support a political view, assuming it is Biblical, before they test it against precepts laid out in Scripture. On closer examination, … Continue reading Who Would Jesus Deport?
Everyone loves The Princess Bride. Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles abound—it has all the elements of a truly great story. But did you know that The Princess Bride is based on a book? It’s not the only movie to be based on a book; The Godfather, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List, the James Bond franchise are all based on … Continue reading Books vs. Movies by Anna Wunderlich
In an 1808 letter to his grandson, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “In stating prudential rules for our government in society, I must not omit the important one of never entering into a dispute or argument with another…It was one of the rules which, above all others, made Doctor Franklin the most amiable of men in society, ‘never to contradict anybody.’” Jefferson reveals that the wise man … Continue reading Redeeming Morality by Wes Wright
The problem with pragmatism as a philosophy is that it is not philosophy. One might call it a philosophical method, as it seeks to correlate known phenomena, but it is nothing more than that: a method of correlating truths, of securing Truth only as far as it is manifest in particular, ‘useful’ truths. It seeks to appropriate knowledge for purposes unrelated to the knowledge itself. … Continue reading Pragmatism’s Problems by Sarah Albers
To many conservative idealists, few venoms paralyze the rational soul’s pursuit of truth more than pragmatism. Such a response is not without warrant, for the terms ‘pragmatism’ and ‘conservatism’ are frequently misused. Nevertheless, a more charitable reading of the pragmatist project and a thoroughgoing understanding of its trajectory enables a deepened grasp of conservative principle. Certainly, someone emphasizing pragmatics in politics will neither be labeled … Continue reading Conservative Pragmatism—Grounding Meaning in Pragmatics: A Conservative Take by Mike Pope
Ladies and gentlemen, It is the pleasure of the Hillsdale Forum to announce our newest feature: a short story writing competition. We will be taking submissions of works under 1500 words and will stop taking submissions on September 24th. We will use the subsequent time to read, edit, and select a winning short story, which will then be published in the magazine. Moreover, we hope … Continue reading Short Story Contest
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