Deneen Lectures on the Democratic Vision of the Anti-Federalists
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“It turns out that the conservatives were the opponents to the Constitution and the liberals were the authors of the Constitution,” Georgetown Associate Professor of Government Dr. Patrick Deneen said in a lecture entitled Men of Great Faith: The Democratic Vision of the Anti-Federalists delivered on March 26 at Christendom College.
populous,” he said.
“Conservatives have become known as ardent defenders of the Constitution and associate themselves with the framers of the Constitution... So what does it mean to revitalize our conservative knowledge or tradition, if it turns out that contemporary conservativeness is actually a defense of what—at the time of its founding—was the liberal tradition? What does it mean to conserve a liberal tradition?” he questioned.
Deneen said that the candidates of both parties that we currently elect agree fundamentally with Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton.
The lecture was hosted by Christendom College’s Cincinnatus League with funding provided by The Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Leadership Institutes’s Revitalize Our Conservative Knowledge (ROCK) on American Campuses Grant. “It’s very interesting to be at a place where [conservative thought] is not an isolated movement on campus, but is the campus,” Deneen said at the beginning of his lecture. Deneen, author of The Odyssey of Political Theory (2000) and Democratic Faith (2005), discussed the philosophy of the Constitution and how it was laid out by its authors and the main document that defended the Constitution, The Federalist Papers. Deneen pointed out three main ideas in the philosophy of the Federalists: first, that the fundamental motivation of human beings is self-interest, second, that a core aim of the Constitution was to encourage forms of individualism, and third, that the Constitution aimed to encourage the rule of a class of elites or a group of people who have an ambition and capacity for greatness. Contrastingly, the Anti-Federalist sought to promote first “the theory of virtue instead of individualism, second, a sense of political liberty—liberty not achieved through private interest, but through public devotions and activity—and third, they urged a type of common sense knowledge, knowledge that was lodged broadly and widely among the
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The Federalists drew upon the early modern state of nature theorist like Machiavelli and Hobbes, who rejected the teachings of the ancients and Christian thinkers.
Dr. Patrick Deneen spoke on the Democratic Vision of the Anti-Fed“There is not a candidate eralists on March 26. out there, except for Ron Paul—and you saw how far he got—who is not commercially very prosperous, liberating, opposed to growth economy, who raises ques- very mobile, luxurious state that is defined tions about the logic of an economy that grows above all by choice? without limit, who would question America’s military predominance and the necessity to de- “How can we just wall off this one sphere— fend it, who would oppose the creation of the ‘okay, this is where you can have no choice’— national bank. Imagine. On these fundamen- when there is a choice in everything? When the motto that defines us best is ‘just do it’? tal issues we have one party system,” he said. Is this not a question of a certain kind of cul“In the issues where we do find our parties to ture... and the kind of politics that helps to be different, I think we need to ask ourselves, form that culture,” he asked. ‘are the things we value most dearly—issues, which I am sure pertain to issues of life—are This fascinating lecture can be downloaded these things undermined by the very funda- at Christendom on iTunes U, christendom. mental Hamiltonian commitments of a large edu/itunesu.
Students Perfect on National Greek Exam
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The American Classical League recognized 17 Christendom College students for their performance on the 2009 National Greek Exam, an annual exam that measures students’ ability to read Greek at sight and knowledge of Classical Greek language and literature.
Klosterman, and Miriam Rauschert received merit awards. Professors Mark Clark and Edward Strickland of the Department of Classical and Early Christian Studies congratulate their students for their achievement.
Two freshmen students, Frances Allington and Brian Killackey, submitted perfect papers on the Intermediate Attic Greek Exam; only six perfect papers were submitted in the whole country on this exam this year. Mary Becher, Julia Callaghan, Kyle Kelley, Ryan Mitchell, and George Walter received highest honors. Christine Ascik, John Killackey, and Michael Strickland took high honors. Benjamin Allen, Brittany Buckner, Caro- Freshmen Brian Killackey and Frances Allington submitline Deucher, Michael Inzeo, David ted perfect papers on this year’s National Greek exam.