Uncommon Knowledge on National Review Online

NRO TV | UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE | ARCHIVES ABOUT SEARCH E-MAIL

FRIDAY, MAY 09, 2008
The Word According to Tom Wolfe: Chapter 5 of 5
Tom Wolfe and America? He loves the place, a position that puts him at odds with much of the charming aristocracy. He’s also an optimist about America — and American greatness. “The biggest problem,” says Wolfe, “is all the people who see a problem.”

THURSDAY, MAY 08, 2008
The Word According to Tom Wolfe: Chapter 4 of 5
Tom Wolfe says evolution ended when man learned to speak — with the dawn of homo loquax. Where status for the beast of the field is determined by power, for man it is determined in innumerable ways because of language. And it is language that gives us rational thought. Wolfe asks, “Have you ever see an animal shrug?”

WEDNESDAY, MAY 07, 2008
The Word According to Tom Wolfe: Chapter 3 of 5
Darwin, Marx, Freud, (E.O.) Wilson? Tom Wolfe says the common thread there is the power of the word — of ideas that change human history in large and obvious ways.

TUESDAY, MAY 06, 2008
The Word According to Tom Wolfe: Chapter 2 of 5
Tom Wolfe says the ideas for his novels grow out of conversation — from what’s really happening. His critics have pounced on this, calling his novels more journalism than literature. But Wolfe shrugs this off: He says he doesn’t write for the “charming aristocracy” — the aristocracy of taste that believes the novelist must aspire to things the masses cannot understand.

MONDAY, MAY 05, 2008
The Word According to Tom Wolfe: Chapter 1 of 5
Tom Wolfe begins by discussing the written word, in its popular forms. The master novelist and journalist says the novel is dying a horrible death, although non-fiction work will continue and the memoir will never die. He then talks about the subject of his latest novel (still in progress): immigration.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008
Kissinger on War & More: Chapter 5 of 5
War and the media — the two have not partnered so well since Vietnam. But in the days of the Internet, conservative talk radio, and Fox News, has the dynamic changed? Kissinger says only a bit, and that the media remain heavily biased against military action. Additionally, the 1960s concept that the U.S. government is somehow an evil enterprise is alive and well. In this environment, Kissinger says our leaders need to present a clearer and more educated vision of the American role in the world.

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008
Kissinger on War & More: Chapter 4 of 5
Kissinger has partnered with George Shultz and others in the noble cause of a nuclear-free world. But what, in fact, are the risks should the U.S. dismantle its nuclear arsenal? And what are the prospects of eradicating all nuclear weapons, without having a few “fall through the cracks”? Kissinger is realistic. The process will not be perfect, nor will it be complete. Yet it must be done undertaken.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008
Kissinger on War & More: Chapter 3 of 5
Kissinger says the rise of India and China is an immensely significant event. He describes these nations as “conglomerates of cultures” that are much larger and potentially more powerful than European nation states ever will be. Looking to each, Kissinger says it is sensible to think of India as a de facto ally, while China and the U.S. have the chance to form a lasting relationship to the benefit of the world.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008
Kissinger on War & More: Chapter 2 of 5
Kissinger says Europe is suspended between its past and its future. The European integration that began after World War II has delivered something undesirable. Meanwhile, Muslim birthrates are soaring while indigenous European birthrates are foundering. This is no longer the Europe we have known. And what of a NATO where the U.S. far and away commits the most on the battlefield? Kissinger concludes that Europe’s interests must become compatible with ours.

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008
Kissinger on War & More: Chapter 1 of 5
Henry Kissinger explains how the war in Iraq is not specifically about Iraq. Rather, it is a war on radical Islam, which will stop at nothing in its assault on the West. America thus cannot afford to become exhausted with the conflict. If we do so — if we conform to political pressure from the left and the apparent anti-war sentiment of the electorate — jihad will only spread.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008
The Free-Market Case for Green: Chapter 5 of 5
T. J. Rodgers discusses the promise and pitfalls of the most popular alternative-energy sources (other than solar). Ethanol? Rodgers says it’s a “total waste.” However, bioengineering and genetic engineering that address the entire corn plant, rather than just the fruit, hold promise. Wind power? Rodgers says it produces high energy volume while remaining cheaper per kilowatt hour than solar. Nuclear? Not only is it cheap and efficient — it’s safe.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2008
The Free-Market Case for Green: Chapter 4 of 5
In the cause of dealing with global warming, Al Gore proposes replacing payroll taxes with pollution taxes on CO2; Barack Obama supports “cap-and-trade,” in which businesses can emit CO2 to a certain level, after which they will need credits to do so; and John McCain leans toward cap-and-trade, but with an emphasis on subsidies for nuclear energy. T. J. Rodgers has strong opinions on each plan, and stresses overall that government should get out of the energy business.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 09, 2008
The Free-Market Case for Green: Chapter 3 of 5
Does solar power “pay,” in the capitalist sense of the word? Almost. According to T. J. Rodgers, solar power is on the edge of ROI — of generating a worthwhile return on investment. And while there’s a learning curve involved in the process of efficiently capturing solar energy, it is neither steep nor prolonged.

TUESDAY, APRIL 08, 2008
The Free-Market Case for Green: Chapter 2 of 5
T. J. Rodgers separates climate science from global-warming fiction: Do greenhouse gasses elevate temperatures? Probably true. Are some global-warming scientists spreading false alarms? Probably true, again. Is there more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than, say, 100 years ago? Probably true. Is this catastrophic? Probably not. In sum: Rodgers says it’s simply not clear that global warming is a catastrophe.

MONDAY, APRIL 07, 2008
The Free-Market Case for Green: Chapter 1 of 5
Can a dedicated, unabashed, free-market capitalist also be a “green” environmentalist? In T. J. Rodgers we have the answer. Rodgers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. — which owns solar-power manufacturer SunPower — believes that “green is green,” that it’s a money-maker and a winner for business. Says Rodgers, “You serve people by making things people want.” And if people want pollution-free power, the free-market can deliver it.

FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008
Shultz on Nukes — Then & Now: Chapter 5 of 5
How can a U.S. administration sustain political support for anti-terrorist activities about which the public must be kept in the dark? Shultz says the U.S. can indicate the discovery of threat while avoiding the particulars. Can the global proliferation of fissile material be halted? Shultz says it can. Can the U.N. help in this and other efforts to halt the emergence of nuclear-armed terrorists? Shultz offers a solid yes.

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
Shultz on Nukes — Then & Now: Chapter 4 of 5
Can the world live with a nuclear Iran, or must that nation be stopped from attaining nuclear weapons at all costs. Shultz takes the latter position, although he believes empty threats toward that end are unwelcome.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
Shultz on Nukes — Then & Now: Chapter 3 of 5
North Korea will refuse any international effort to purge the world of nuclear weapons. But Shultz reasons that the U.S. and its closest allies can lean on China and Japan to keep North Korea in check. “Keep the pressure on,” says Shultz.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2008
Shultz on Nukes — Then & Now: Chapter 2 of 5
A quarter century after the Cold War has ended, the U.S. still stockpiles thousands of nuclear weapons. Warranted? Shultz reasons that if one warhead can incinerate Manhattan, what conceivable use can there be for thousands? Yet rather than unilateral disarmament, Shultz says the U.S. should aspire to an international effort to pare down these stockpiles.

MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2008
Shultz on Nukes — Then & Now: Chapter 1 of 5
Former secretary of State George Shultz has joined several other former U.S. officials — Henry Kissinger, William Perry, and Sam Nunn — in directing the Nuclear Security Project, which is aimed at “ending nuclear weapons as a threat to the world.” According to Shultz, times have changed. The doctrine of deterrence that existed during the Cold War no longer applies. The number of nations pursuing nuclear weapons has metastasized, and the non-proliferation regime has unraveled. Hence, we need a new objective: a world free of nuclear weapons.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008
The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 5 of 5
Prof. Thornton says the U.S. needs to show Europe some tough love, with particular regard to military matters. For instance, today the U.S. plays the necessary role of global policeman, but in terms of the security provided by the U.S., Europe is getting a free ride. This needs to end. Says Thornton, “We need to say to Europe: You guys are rich. You wanna be a big, important player? Spend the money on the military and then we’ll deal with you.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008
The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 4 of 5
Children are expensive, and they require a sacrifice of time and interest by parents. But what is the root cause of Europe’s ongoing demographic suicide — which coincides, by the way, with an explosion of the Muslim demographic on the continent? Prof. Thornton says Europeans are not reproducing because “the dolce vita lifestyle does not include children.” A Europe that is drawn to instant pleasure has little interest in investing in either children or the future of the Europe.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008
The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 3 of 5
Prof. Thornton discusses how a bureaucratic European Union “super state” is undermining the old nation-states of England, France, and Germany — a dangerous process. Uber-nationalism, of course, gave us the fascist European movements of the 20th century. Under the “enlightened” guidance of the EU, however, any nationalism is looked upon as reprehensible. Thornton counters that deep-rooted nationalism is a net good, and that its deterioration will coincide with the loss of representative democracy.

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008
The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 2 of 5
If Europe is still democratic, and if it still embraces the free market, why should anyone care that Judaeo-Christian religious beliefs are slipping across the region? Of course, the tide of faith has been going out for a long time — since the Enlightenment — and the rise of science is a good reason why. But Prof. Thornton says this is particularly worrisome today because of the coinciding rise of radical Islam.

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 1 of 5
Professor Bruce Thornton of Cal State Fresno describes a European civilization that after twenty-five centuries is drawing to an end. He lists the symptoms: Economies are less adaptable and competitive because of an enormous regulatory burden; social welfare entitlements are incredibly expensive; and, demographically, Europeans simply aren’t reproducing. At the source of this demise is a loss of the foundational belief system that created the West — that created Europe — in the first place.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2008
Facts and Fallacies with Thomas Sowell: Chapter 5 of 5
Fallacies about race run rampant through our culture. For instance, racial discrimination is often listed as a root cause of criminality among blacks, but Sowell points out that black crime was declining prior to the 1960s and the civil-rights and anti-poverty laws that emerged during that decade. What then is the source of black criminality in the post-1960s? Simple, says Sowell: “They stopped punishing criminals.”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2008
Facts and Fallacies with Thomas Sowell: Chapter 4 of 5
We’re programmed to think that if we want to make it big in life we need to attend the crème de la crème of colleges. Thomas Sowell says that’s not true at all. Higher-ed institutions also spread the notion that the price of tuition — though astronomically high — doesn’t even cover the full cost of educating each student. Another misleading statement, says Sowell. How can one separate higher-ed truth from fiction? Sowell has the answers.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
Facts and Fallacies with Thomas Sowell: Chapter 3 of 5
Sowell discusses the outrage that is faculty tenure. Tenured faculty members, he says, run universities for their own best interests — not the interests of students. They schedule classes on their own time, not students’ time. They wield tremendous influence, in particular into areas where they have no expertise. Why, asks Sowell, should someone who teaches French literature decide whether ROTC should be allowed on campus? The trouble with tenure extends far and wide.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2008
Facts and Fallacies with Thomas Sowell: Chapter 2 of 5
It has been reported that the incomes of most American households have remained flat in recent decades. But Sowell says this is a misleading statistic, since “households” are a moving target — varying over time in size, among population groups, and from one income level to another. Says Sowell, “Whenever I see somebody quoting household income, he's trying to make things look bad.” The mainstream media, it turns out, works overtime to make most income data look bad.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008
Facts and Fallacies with Thomas Sowell: Chapter 1 of 5
The conventional wisdom instructs that the rise of women in corporate America in the latter half of the 20th century was due to the implementation of anti-discrimination laws championed by the feminist movement. In reality, a greater proportion of American women held high-level occupations in the first half of the 20th century. What gives? Thomas Sowell sets the record straight on this and other male–female employment fallacies.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008
The Economy According to Taylor and Judd: Chapter 5 of 5
Should the next president let the Bush tax cuts expire, on the theory that the government will need higher tax revenues to meet a rising entitlement burden? If not, how can tax-cut extensions be justified? Taylor and Judd debate the best tax-and-spending prescription for 2009 and beyond.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008
The Economy According to Taylor and Judd: Chapter 4 of 5
Hot-button economic issues for the 2008 campaign season include trade deficits, a weak dollar, and high household and federal debt. To what extent should these statistics actually worry voters? Taylor and Judd separate the economic facts from the political fictions.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008
The Economy According to Taylor and Judd: Chapter 3 of 5
Bush says an economic-stimulus package comprised of tax rebates is necessary to get the economy going again. The Wall Street Journal says the rebates are budget-busters that will force higher taxes in the future. Who’s right? Taylor and Judd side with the Journal, and discuss why permanent tax-rate cuts always trump one-time rebates.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008
The Economy According to Taylor and Judd: Chapter 2 of 5
Much of the recent economic and stock market indigestion is the result of the sub-prime credit crisis that erupted last summer. At the heart of the crisis are the risky loans that were collateralized by Wall Street and dispersed widely to investors. Those loans never should have been made, and Wall Street never should have mainstreamed this risk. But what about the government response? How has Fed chair Ben Bernanke acted in the long wake of the crisis? Taylor and Judd have some answers.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2008
The Economy According to Taylor and Judd: Chapter 1 of 5
Are we, in fact, in a recession? If not, is one still headed our way? Economists John Taylor and Kenn Judd discuss not only the state of the current economic slowdown, but how the definition of recession is evolving. “Mild” recessions have supplanted what were several decades ago long and painful periods of negative economic growth. Who to thank? We can begin with Ronald Reagan and Paul Volcker.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2008
Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 5 of 5
Why can’t Obama win? Steele says it’s because he’s a bound man who can’t serve the aspirations of one race without betraying those of another. “The black American identity,” says Steele, “is still for the most part grounded in challenging. You never give white people the benefit of the doubt; that’s our power.” And that puts Obama in a tenuous position. If he gives white people the benefit of the doubt, he’ll lose black support; if he challenges white people in a nod to the black community, he’ll lose white support.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008
Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 4 of 5
Shelby Steele describes the practice of “masking” in the black culture. Louis Armstrong masked by being a bargainer; Miles Davis did so by being a challenger; Oprah is a masker — a bargainer extraordinaire; Bill Cosby shed his mask, said what he really thought, and lost his iconic status in the black community. If we are to understand Barack Obama, we must understand his masks.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 3 of 5
Obama lost his father at the age of two, after which he was raised in an all-white Midwestern household. Steele discusses this as the source of a life-long angst for Obama: With “this longing to know the father in Barack Obama, there's also a longing to know himself as a black; to feel that he belongs — that simple sense that other blacks take for granted.”

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2008
Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 2 of 5
Shelby Steele talks about the “one-drop rule” and how it has defined Barack Obama’s candidacy as an African American running for president. He continues on to describe how the color of his skin has defined him, not the content of his character — how he isn't running as an individual with his own beliefs. And while he may write like a novelist and speak beautifully, he doesn't have a voice of his own.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008
Shelby Steele on Obama and the Politics of Race: Chapter 1 of 5
In conversation with Peter Robinson, Shelby Steele explores Barack Obama’s candidacy — and his character — in light of the two strategies that African Americans have traditionally used for dealing with life in the white American mainstream: bargaining and challenging. In so doing, Steele not only reveals the paradox and weakness at the heart of Obama’s campaign but also delves into challenges America faces as it seeks to go beyond the exhausted racial politics that now prevail.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2008
Norman Podhoretz on World War IV: Chapter 5 of 5
Can we live with a nuclear Iran? Podhoretz says no, emphasizing that this is an essential stand the West must take as it wages WWIV. The stakes, to be sure, are high. “If we do permit Iran to get the bomb,” says Podhoretz, “there will be within a very short time a nuclear war.”

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008
Norman Podhoretz on World War IV: Chapter 4 of 5
Post-9/11 America has split into two camps, according to Podhoretz. One camp believes that we are in a war comparable to either WWII or WWIII, and that either we win it or our civilization is doomed. The other side says, “Nonsense. This isn’t a war.” These theories are irreconcilable. “Totally,” says Podhoretz.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2008
Norman Podhoretz on World War IV: Chapter 3 of 5
Podhoretz explains what went wrong between the instant victory in Iraq in 2003 and the successful surge of 2007. He points to a learning curve, where the U.S. had to understand the uniqueness of the insurgency. Leadership also figured in. Says Podhoretz, "It took Lincoln three years to find Sherman and Grant. It took George Bush three years to find Petraeus."

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Norman Podhoretz on World War IV: Chapter 2 of 5
Some have compared George W. Bush the warrior to Ronald Reagan the warrior, but Podhoretz says it is more accurate to compare Bush to Harry Truman. For one, each had high negatives while fighting a war that needed to be fought. For another, each recognized a threat and built an effective doctrine for dealing with that treat.

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2008
Norman Podhoretz on World War IV: Chapter 1 of 5
Prolific author and time-tested conservative Norman Podhoretz describes why the current global struggle is in fact World War IV. What happened to WWIII? Podhoretz says we are now engaged in the third conflict in a succession of conflicts against totalitarianism. We took on Nazism in WWII, communism in the Cold War (which in retrospect Podhoretz labels WWIII), and now Islamofascism in WWIV.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 04, 2008
Michael Barone on American Politics: Chapter 5 of 5
Hillary Clinton has high unfavorable ratings in internal Democratic polls and Rudy Giuliani isn't a social conservative — yet they both lead in national polls. Barone explains Hillary's ability to win and lose, and how national security takes precedence for Giuliani supporters.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 03, 2008
Michael Barone on American Politics: Chapter 4 of 5
The Left's mantra on healthcare sounds appealling: Everyone should have it, and the haves should help the have-nots pay for it. But Barone says Republicans also can play the healthcare issue to their advantage.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 02, 2008
Michael Barone on American Politics: Chapter 3 of 5
Taxes are now emerging as a big issue, with the Bush tax cuts expiring in 2010. Should the Republican candidates be pushing for tax reform? Barone chimes in.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 01, 2008
Michael Barone on American Politics: Chapter 2 of 5
Barone argues that American voters aren't anti-Iraq; rather, they're anti-stalemate.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2007
Michael Barone on American Politics: Chapter 1 of 5
Author and pundit Michael Barone fields questions on paradoxes in American politics, such as an electoral ratio that skews Democratic, and yet Republican's still see victories in staunch Democratic enclaves. What gives? Are American voters today a bit different than American voters past? Barone believes so.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2007
Victor Davis Hanson on War and History: Chapter 5 of 5
VDH discusses his own future as a military historian, and whether the academic discipline can be revitalized in today’s universities.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007
Victor Davis Hanson on War and History: Chapter 4 of 5
VDH discusses a nuclear Iran. Can we live with it? Should we launch a preemptive strike? What other options do we have?

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2007
Victor Davis Hanson on War and History: Chapter 3 of 5
VDH discusses his trip to Iraq, his time with General David Petraeus, and whether the surge is sustainable.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007
Victor Davis Hanson on War and History: Chapter 2 of 5
VDH discusses the war in Iraq — from the stunning initial victory, to the protracted post-victory malaise, to the remarkably successful surge.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2007
Victor Davis Hanson on War and History: Chapter 1 of 5
Military historian Victor Davis Hanson discusses the current war against radical Islam, calling it a true world war and comparing it to the epic global struggles of the 20th century.

Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson
© Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

© National Review Online 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Home | Search | NR / Digital | Donate | Media Kit | Contact Us

This page loaded in 0.024274 seconds.