Books
How Basic Is “Basic Judaism”?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World
– "How Basic Is 'Basic Judaism'?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World," Commentary, January 1948. (A review of Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg.)Excerpt: It is social philosophy that is his talking point, and not religion. Judaism, Rabbi Steinberg finds, has an immanent political doctrine that adds up to “political democracy, to a… More
Who’s Superstitious?
– "Who's Superstitious?" Commentary, November 1948.Excerpt: Outside, breathing in the gasoline-scented air of Central Park, I closed my eyes and bid nostalgic farewell to a world that knew not the redeeming truths of biology. Where Jews… More
In Power Begins Curiosity
– “In Power Begins Curiosity,” Partisan Review, no. 3, 1952. (A review of The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr.)McGranery and Charlie Chaplin
– “McGranery and Charlie Chaplin,” The New Leader, November 24, 1952.American Ghosts
– “American Ghosts,” Encounter, July 1954. (A review of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow and Brothers to Dragons by R. D. Warner.)Table Talk
– “Table Talk,” Encounter, October 1955.America: Mystery and Mystifications
– “America: Mystery and Mystifications,” Encounter, January 1956. (A review of American Government by Richard Pear, History of the United States by R. B. Nie and J. E. Mopurgo, The Great Experiment by Frank Thistlethwaite, and The Age of Reform: From Bryan to FDR by Richard Hofstadter.)The College and the University
– “The College and the University,” Encounter, March 1956. (A review of The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States by Richard Hofstadter and Walter Metzger.)Not One World
– "Not One World," Commentary, August 1956. (A review of American Politics in a Revolutionary World, by Chester Bowles.)Excerpt: Basically, what Mr. Bowles has done is to follow the honorable 19th-century custom of transplanting the Whig interpretation of history—history as the unfolding story of… More
“A Condition of Mere Nature”
– “'A Condition of Mere Nature',” Encounter, October 1956. (A review of The Anglo-American Tradition in Foreign Affairs edited by Arnold Wolfers and Lawrence W. Martin.)Vox Populi, Vox Dei?
– “Vox Populi, Vox Dei?” Encounter, March 1957. (A review of Torment of Secrecy by Edward Shils and Freedom or Secrecy by James Russell Wiggins.)A Mixed Bag
– “A Mixed Bag,” Encounter, June 1957.American Ambiguities
– “American Ambiguities,” Encounter, January 1958. (A review of The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Meyers.)Excerpt: One of the most fruitful of Professor Meyers’ insights is contained in the title. The word “persuasion,” which he defines as “a half-formulated moral perspective… More
Letter to an American
– “Letter to an American,” Yale Review, Summer 1958.Strange Gods on Capitol Hill
– “Strange Gods on Capitol Hill,” Reporter, November 12, 1959. (A review of Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.)D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett
– "D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett," Commentary, February 1960. (A review of Mark Twain and Southwestern Humor by Kenneth S. Lynn.)Excerpt: There is nothing quite like American humorous writing in the literature of other nations. Nowhere else is humor so central to the literary tradition, so intimately revealing of the… More
A Matter of Fundamentals
– “A Matter of Fundamentals,” Encounter, April 1960. (A review of America the Vincible by Emmet John Hughes and Beyond Survival by Max Ways.)A Traitor to His Class?
– "A Traitor to His Class?," Kenyon Review, Summer 1960. (A review of Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fielder.)Dead-end Streets
– “Dead-end Streets,” Encounter, February 61.Explaining Ourselves
– “Explaining Ourselves,” Encounter, May 1961.God and Politics in America
– “God and Politics in America,” Encounter, August 1961.Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A
– “Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A,” Encounter, September 1961.Democracy and Its Discontents
– “Democracy and Its Discontents,” Harper's, September 1961. (A review of eight books.)Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold
– “Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold,” The New Leader, January 7, 1963.One Man, One Vote
– “One Man, One Vote,” The New Leader, June 24, 1963.The View from Miami
– “The View from Miami,” Encounter, November 1963. (A review of Great Britain or Little England? by John Mander, A State of England by Anthony Hartley, and The Outsiders: A Liberal View of Britain by James Morris.)My Friend, the Professor
– “My Friend, the Professor,” The New Leader, November 11, 1963.The Squares vs. the Yahoos
– “The Squares vs. the Yahoos,” The New Leader, September 14, 1964.From the Land of the Free to the Big PX
– "From the Land of the Free to the Big PX," New York Times Magazine, December 20, 1964.The 20th Century Began in 1945
– “The 20th Century Began in 1945,” New York Times Magazine, May 2, 1965.One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society
– “One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society,” Harper's, March 1966. (A review of Freedom Through Power by William Withers and Reclaiming the American Dream by Richard C. Cornuelle.)A New Isolationism?
– “A New Isolationism?” Encounter, June 1966.American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy
– “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, July 1967.Excerpt: An intellectual may be defined as a man who speaks with general authority about a subject on which he has no particular competence. This definition sounds ironic, but is not. The… More
Who’s in Charge Here?
– “Who's in Charge Here?” Fortune, November 1967. (A review of The Power Structure by Arnold Rose.)The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics
– "The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics," New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1968.Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s
– “Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s,” in The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition, ed. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond (De Kalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1968).A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come
– “A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come” (with Paul Weaver), New York Times Magazine, November 23, 1969.American Historians and the Democratic Idea
– "American Historians and the Democratic Idea," American Scholar, Winter 1969-1970.Barbarians from Within
– “Barbarians from Within,” Fortune, March 1970. (A review of Decline of Radicalism: Reflections on America Today by Daniel Boorstin.)Urban Civilization and Its Discontents
– "Urban Civilization and Its Discontents," Commentary, July 1970. (Adapted from the inaugural lecture as Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University, delivered April 15, 1970.)Excerpt: What has happened, clearly, is that provincial America—that America which at least paid lip service to, if it did not live by, the traditional republican morality—that America… More
“When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”—Some Reflections on Capitalism and “the Free Society”
– "'When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness’—Some Reflections on Capitalism and 'the Free Society'," The Public Interest, Fall 1970.Excerpt: I use the word “conservative” advisedly. Though the discontents of our civilization express themselves in the rhetoric of “liberation” and… More
Is the Urban Crisis Real?
– "Is the Urban Crisis Real?" (a rejoinder to Jerome Zukosky), Commentary, November 1970.Excerpt: In short, I do think that the “real” crisis in America today is largely—not entirely, of course, but largely—a moral-philosophical one, and that it cannot be dealt with… More
The Urban Crisis (Cont’d)
– "The Urban Crisis (Cont'd)" (A reply to letters), Commentary, January 1971.Excerpt: Usually, and fortunately, the kind of disagreement that has emerged between Mr. Zukosky and myself tends to remain “academic.” In settled times, the modes of civility in daily… More
The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale
– “The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale,” Fortune, August 1971. (A review of Movement Toward a New America by Mitch Gooden.)A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism
– "A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism," New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1971.On the Democratic Idea in America
– New York: Harper, 1972.1. Urban Civilization and its Discontents 2. The Shaking of the Foundations 3. Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship 4. American Historians and the Democratic Idea 5. American… More
The Need for a Philosophy of Education
– “The Need for a Philosophy of Education” (remarks originally delivered as part of a conference at Rockefeller University on February 21-22, 1972) in The Idea of a Modern University, ed. Sidney Hook, Paul Kurtz, and Miro Todorovich (New York: Prometheus Books, 1974).An Urban Civilization without Cities
– “An Urban Civilization without Cities,” Horizon, Autumn 1972.Is the American Worker “Alienated”?
– “Is the American Worker 'Alienated'?” Wall Street Journal, January 18, 1973.Convalescing from the Frantic ’60s
– “Convalescing from the Frantic '60s,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 1973.The Misgivings of a Philanthropist
– “The Misgivings of a Philanthropist,” Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1973.The Nightmare of Watergate
– “The Nightmare of Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 1973.What Comes Next after Watergate
– “What Comes Next after Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 1973.The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
– “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution” (lecture delivered at American Enterprise Institute, October 12, 1973), printed in America's Continuing Revolution: An Act of Conservation (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1975).Excerpt: As we approach the bicentennial of the American Revolution, we find ourselves in a paradoxical and embarrassing situation. A celebration of some kind certainly seems to be in… More
Coping With the Realities of the 70’s
– “Coping With the Realities of the 70's” (Lecture at the Super Market Institute, Bal Harbor, Florida), January 13-16, 1974.A College President Discusses America
– “A College President Discusses America,” Fortune, April 1974. (A review of Blue-Collar Journey by John R. Coleman.)The Meaning of Kissinger
– “The Meaning of Kissinger,” Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1974.Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions
– “Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions” delivered at and then reprinted by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, May 1974. (Reprinted in The Alternative, February 1975.)Excerpt: This is a serious matter. For the American democracy today seems really to have no other purpose than to create more and more Scarsdales—to convert the entire nation into a… More
The Inexorable Rise of the Executive
– “The Inexorable Rise of the Executive,” Wall Street Journal, September 20, 1974.Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society
– "Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society" (Lecture at the 1974 Educational Testing Service conference), printed in Moral Development (Princeton, NJ: ETS, 1975).Excerpt: Properly understood, authority is to be distinguished from power, which is the capacity to coerce. In the case of authority, power is not experienced as coercive because it is… More
The Politics of Appeasement
– “The Politics of Appeasement,” Wall Street Journal, February 12, 1975.On Corporate Capitalism in America
– "On Corporate Capitalism in America," The Public Interest, Fall 1975.Excerpt: Whether for good or evil—and one can leave this for future historians to debate–the large corporation has gone “quasi-public,” i.e., it now straddles,… More
What Is a “Neo-Conservative”?
– “What Is a ‘Neo-Conservative’?” Newsweek, January 19, 1976.Excerpt: 1. Neo-conservatism is not at all hostile to the idea of a welfare state, but it is critical of the Great Society version of this welfare state. In general, it approves of… More
Notes on the Spirit of ’76
– “Notes on the Spirit of '76,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 1976.Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels
– “Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 1976.Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?
– “Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?” New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1976.Professors, Politicians and Public Policy
– Professors, Politicians and Public Policy: A Round Table Held on July 29, 1977 (AEI Forum No. 10), ed. John Charles Daly (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977).How Equal Can We Be?
– “How Equal Can We Be?” (An interview), Business and Society Review, Fall 1977.In Memory of Martin Diamond
– “In Memory of Martin Diamond,” The Alternative, October 1977.The Measure of America
– “The Measure of America,” Oklahoma Observer, December 25, 1977.Two Cheers for Capitalism
– New York: Basic Books, March 1978.PART ONE: The Enemy of Being is Having 1. Corporate Capitalism in America 2. Business and the “New Class” 3. Frustrations of Affluence 4. Ideology and Food 5. The… More
The White House Virus
– “The White House Virus,” Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1978.Is America Moving Right? Ought It?
– ''Is America Moving Right? Ought It?” (A conversation with Irving Kristol and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), Public Opinion, September/October, 1978.The “New Class” Revisited
– “The 'New Class' Revisited,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1979.Blame It on the People!
– “Blame It on the People!” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1979.The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals
– “The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals,” Encounter, October 1979.The Trilateral Commission Factor
– “The Trilateral Commission Factor,” Wall Street Journal, April 16, 1980.Neo-Conservative Guru to America’s New Order
– “Neo-Conservative Guru to America's New Order” (A discussion), MacLean's, January 19, 1981.Our Country and Our Culture
– Our Country and Our Culture (Proceedings of a Committee for the Free World conference held February 12-13, 1983 in New York), (New York: Orwell Press, 1989).Reflections of a Neoconservative: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
– New York: Basic Books, October 1983.I. IN THE BEGINNING… 1. Memoirs of a Trotskyist 2. Memoirs of a “Cold Warrior” II. THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM 3. The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals 4.… More
Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American
– “Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American,” Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities, 1984.)A Transatlantic “Misunderstanding”: The Case of Central America
– “A Transatlantic ‘Misunderstanding’: The Case of Central America,” Encounter, March 1985.Our Four-Party System
– “Our Four-Party System,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1984.International Law and International Lies
– “International Law and International Lies,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1985.Excerpt: This new version of international law, and the liberal internationalist foreign policy associated with it, has played out its string. The senselessness of its… More
The New Populism: Not to Worry
– “The New Populism: Not to Worry,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 1985.Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology
– “Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology,” The National Interest, Fall 1985.How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?
– “How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?” (A symposium), Commentary, November 1985.After New Models
– “After New Models,” Times Literary Supplement, December 6, 1985. (A review of The Trouble with America by Michael Crozier.)“Human Rights”: The Hidden Agenda
– “'Human Rights': The Hidden Agenda,” The National Interest, Winter 1986-87.Excerpt: A final point: There are some conservative (or non-left) “human rights” activists who feel that this theme can be exploited for purposes of anti-communist and… More
The Spirit of ’87
– "The Spirit of '87," The Public Interest, Winter 1987.Excerpt: THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION is a highly paradoxical document. Rhetorically, it is dry, legalistic, lacking in eloquence. Substantively, too, while it may not in fact have been “the… More
Wills’ America: A “Sophisticate” Takes Revenge
– “Wills' America: A 'Sophisticate' Takes Revenge,” Washington Times, February 9, 1987. (A review of Reagan's America by Garry Wills.)Virtues and Vices of Democracy
– "Virtues and Vices of Democracy" (A Federalist Society symposium), November 7, 1987.Religion and the Constitution
– "Religion and the Constitution" (An AEI symposium), December 1, 1987.U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time
– “U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1988.The Trouble with Republicans
– “The Trouble with Republicans,” Wall Street Journal, August 22, 1988.The Question of Patriotism
– “The Question of Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal, September 16, 1988.Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan
– "Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan," (Remarks for a symposium), American Enterprise Institute, December 7, 1988.Excerpt: As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave the White House, he also leaves those of us who study American politics and American history with an interesting question: What is it that has… More
Christmas, Christians, and Jews
– “Christmas, Christians, and Jews,” National Review, December 30, 1988.Excerpt: Once upon a time, long before the idea or phrase “sensitivity training” was born, the various religious groups in our heterogeneous society had developed a strategy for… More
The End of History?
– “The End of History?” (A symposium), The National Interest, Summer 1989.This Is the Place to Be
– “This Is the Place to Be” (Interview with Ken Adelman), Washingtonian, July 1989.Reagan and the Conservative Movement
– "Reagan and the Conservative Movement" (A Heritage Foundation round-table discussion), December 13, 1989.On the Character of American Political Order
– “On the Character of American Political Order,” In The Promise of American Politics: Principles and Practice after Two Hundred Years, ed. Robert Utley (New York: University Press of America, 1989).12 Years and Out!
– “12 Years and Out!” Washington Post, June 10, 1990.Defining Our National Interest
– "Defining Our National Interest," The National Interest, Fall 1990.Taking Political Things Personally
– “Taking Political Things Personally,” Times Literary Supplement, March 5, 1991. (A review of The American "Empire" and Other Studies of US Foreign Policy in a Comparative Perspective by Geir Lundestad and US Foreign Policy in the 1990s edited by Greg Schmergel.)Standing Room Only
– “Standing Room Only,” Times Literary Supplement, July 12, 1991. (A review of American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar.)The Future of American Jewry
– "The Future of American Jewry," Commentary, August 1991Excerpt: Is this picture of 21st-century America good or bad? Specifically, is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? The instinctive response of most Jews, committed to their secular… More
Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.America’s Mysterious Malaise
– “America's Mysterious Malaise,” Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 1992.Multi-Culturalism, “Political Correctness,” and America’s Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?
– "Multi-Culturalism, 'Political Correctness,' and America's Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?"Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday
– Christopher DeMuth, George Will, Walter Berns, Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and William Kristol, "Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday," The American Enterprise Institute, January 21, 1995.Excerpt: If what is called neoconservatism is by now an institution of sorts, it truly is what Emerson said institutions are–the lengthening shadow of a man. And the man is Irving… More
Irving Kristol’s Moral Realism
– Philip Selznick, "Irving Kristol's Moral Realism," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).The Common Man’s Uncommon Intellectual
– Michael S. Joyce, "The Common Man's Uncommon Intellectual," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American
– Michael Novak, "Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).A Tribute to Irving Kristol
– William E. Simon, "A Tribute to Irving Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Culture and Kristol
– Robert H. Bork, "Culture and Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Magazines & American Politics
– "Magazines & American Politics" (A symposium of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University), February 27, 1995.America’s “Exceptional Conservatism”
– “America's 'Exceptional Conservatism',” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1995.America Dreaming
– “America Dreaming,” Wall Street Journal, August 13, 1995.Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea
– New York: Free Press, 1995.SECTION I 1. An Autobiographical Memoir SECTION II: RACE, SEX, AND FAMILY 2. Welfare: The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results 3. The Tragedy of “Multiculturalism” 4.… More
America’s “Exceptional” Conservatism
– “America’s ‘Exceptional’ Conservatism” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).An Autobiographical Memoir
– “An Autobiographical Memoir” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).Excerpt: Is there such a thing as a “neo” gene? I ask that question because, looking back over a lifetime of my opinions, I am struck by the fact that they all quality as “neo.” I… More
American Conservatism, 1945-1995
– "American Conservatism, 1945-1995," The Public Interest, Fall 1995.Excerpt: THE Public Interest was born well before the term “neoconservative” was invented, and will—I trust—be alive and active when the term is of only historical interest. That… More
The National Prospect
– "The National Prospect" (A Symposium), Commentary, November 1995.Excerpt: I am persuaded that a serious religious revival is under way in this country. But just how this revival will make out when it confronts the hedonism of our popular culture and the… More
A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy
– “A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 1996.Excerpt: Everyone from American scholars to foreign statesmen finds American foreign policy very puzzling. And so the basic tenor of all commentaries on this policy, at any time and from… More
The Next President
– "The Next President" (An AEI symposium), September 6, 1996.The Right Stuff
– “The Right Stuff,” Prospect, October 1996.Excerpt: I remember the day very well, back in 1956, when I arrived at my office at Encounter-of which I was then co-editor-and found on my desk an unsolicited manuscript by Michael… More
The Tipping-Point Election
– “The Tipping-Point Election: Will Future Americans Look Back at the 1996 Vote and Say 'Bingo'?” American Enterprise, November/December 1996.The Emerging American Imperium
– "The Emerging American Imperium," Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1997.Excerpt: The world has never seen an imperium of this kind, and it is hard to know what to make of it. In its favor, it lacks the brute coercion that characterized European imperialism. But… More
Arguing the World
– "Arguing the World" (A documentary), written and directed by Joseph Dorman, January 7, 1998.A Note on Religious Tolerance
– “A Note on Religious Tolerance,” Conservative Judaism, Summer 1998.Excerpt: I am all in favor of Americans of a particular religion learning about other religions. On the other hand, I have little use for all these Christian-Jewish dialogues that are so… More
On the Political Stupidity of the Jews
– "On the Political Stupidity of the Jews," Azure, Autumn 1999.Excerpt: The novelist Saul Bellow is fond of recalling a political incident from his youth. Saul, then an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, was, like so many of us in the 1930s,… More
Faith à la Carte
– "Faith à la Carte," The Times Literary Supplement, May 26, 2000.Excerpt: With an unprecedented level of prosperity and the end of the Cold War, the American people say they want change—it is practically un-American for someone to say he does not want… More
The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional
– "The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional" (Bradley Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute), October 15, 2001.Irving Kristol Bradley Lecture The Education, so to speak, of a Neoconservative [EDITED TRANSCRIPT] A few years ago the journals rang me up and asked, do you think neo-conservatism lives,… More
Book Discussion on “On Two Wings”
– "Book Discussion on On Two Wings" (An AEI symposium), December 4, 2001.Three Cheers for Irving by David Brooks
– David Brooks, "Three Cheers for Irving," The New York Times, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Kristol championed capitalism and wrote brilliantly about Adam Smith. But like Smith, he could only give two cheers for capitalism, because the system of creative destruction has… More
Irving Kristol: The “Universal Resource”
– Tevi Troy, "Irving Kristol: The 'Universal Resource'," The Corner blog, National Review, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Goldwin was not the only White House staffer enamored of Kristol. Then–deputy chief of staff Dick Cheney was a fan as well, and he wrote in a memo to Goldwin, “I greatly… More
The Practical Liberal by Christopher DeMuth
– Christopher DeMuth, "The Practical Liberal," The American, September 22, 2009.Excerpt: Irving was, from start to finish, a proponent of vigorous government within its proper sphere. He never passed up a chance to enter a dissent, serious or wisecracking, against… More
Irving Kristol
– "Irving Kristol," The Economist, September 24, 2009.Excerpt: Conservatism, Kristol-style, acquired a “neo”. He was always, he mused, a neo-something: neoMarxist, neoliberal, neo-Orthodox (because he believed, though he wasn’t sure… More
The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol by Eric Cohen
– Eric Cohen, "The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol," National Affairs, Winter 2010.Excerpt: Neoconservatism was, as Kristol always described it, merely a “persuasion” that tried to “imagine the world as it might be,” but also to “live and… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
– New York: Basic Books, 2011.Foreword: In Memoriam: Irving Kristol, 1920-2009: William Kristol Introduction by Gertrude Himmelfarb I. IN THE BEGINNING . . . : Enquiry Auden: The Quality of Doubt A Christian… More
Irving Kristol and Republican Virtue
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" blog, Commentary, January 24, 2011.Excerpt: On C-SPAN’s series After Words, David Brooks hosted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with William Kristol on The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942-2009,… More
Irving Kristol’s Brute Reason
– Paul Berman, "Irving Kristol's Brute Reason," New York Times Book Review, January 30, 2011.Excerpt: And, in this new spirit, he plunged into his magnum opus, which, instead of a book, was the constructing of something called “neoconservatism.” This was intended to be a new… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion
– Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Irwin Stelzer, Leon Kass, and William Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion" (A panel discussion), February 2, 2011.A Cheerful Conservative
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" Blog, Commentary, May 12, 2014.Excerpt: Building on Tom Wilson’s fine post on the creation of the Foundation for Constitutional Government’s new website devoted to the writings of Irving Kristol… More
Essays
How Basic Is “Basic Judaism”?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World
– "How Basic Is 'Basic Judaism'?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World," Commentary, January 1948. (A review of Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg.)Excerpt: It is social philosophy that is his talking point, and not religion. Judaism, Rabbi Steinberg finds, has an immanent political doctrine that adds up to “political democracy, to a… More
Who’s Superstitious?
– "Who's Superstitious?" Commentary, November 1948.Excerpt: Outside, breathing in the gasoline-scented air of Central Park, I closed my eyes and bid nostalgic farewell to a world that knew not the redeeming truths of biology. Where Jews… More
In Power Begins Curiosity
– “In Power Begins Curiosity,” Partisan Review, no. 3, 1952. (A review of The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr.)McGranery and Charlie Chaplin
– “McGranery and Charlie Chaplin,” The New Leader, November 24, 1952.American Ghosts
– “American Ghosts,” Encounter, July 1954. (A review of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow and Brothers to Dragons by R. D. Warner.)Table Talk
– “Table Talk,” Encounter, October 1955.America: Mystery and Mystifications
– “America: Mystery and Mystifications,” Encounter, January 1956. (A review of American Government by Richard Pear, History of the United States by R. B. Nie and J. E. Mopurgo, The Great Experiment by Frank Thistlethwaite, and The Age of Reform: From Bryan to FDR by Richard Hofstadter.)The College and the University
– “The College and the University,” Encounter, March 1956. (A review of The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States by Richard Hofstadter and Walter Metzger.)Not One World
– "Not One World," Commentary, August 1956. (A review of American Politics in a Revolutionary World, by Chester Bowles.)Excerpt: Basically, what Mr. Bowles has done is to follow the honorable 19th-century custom of transplanting the Whig interpretation of history—history as the unfolding story of… More
“A Condition of Mere Nature”
– “'A Condition of Mere Nature',” Encounter, October 1956. (A review of The Anglo-American Tradition in Foreign Affairs edited by Arnold Wolfers and Lawrence W. Martin.)Vox Populi, Vox Dei?
– “Vox Populi, Vox Dei?” Encounter, March 1957. (A review of Torment of Secrecy by Edward Shils and Freedom or Secrecy by James Russell Wiggins.)A Mixed Bag
– “A Mixed Bag,” Encounter, June 1957.American Ambiguities
– “American Ambiguities,” Encounter, January 1958. (A review of The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Meyers.)Excerpt: One of the most fruitful of Professor Meyers’ insights is contained in the title. The word “persuasion,” which he defines as “a half-formulated moral perspective… More
Letter to an American
– “Letter to an American,” Yale Review, Summer 1958.Strange Gods on Capitol Hill
– “Strange Gods on Capitol Hill,” Reporter, November 12, 1959. (A review of Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.)D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett
– "D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett," Commentary, February 1960. (A review of Mark Twain and Southwestern Humor by Kenneth S. Lynn.)Excerpt: There is nothing quite like American humorous writing in the literature of other nations. Nowhere else is humor so central to the literary tradition, so intimately revealing of the… More
A Matter of Fundamentals
– “A Matter of Fundamentals,” Encounter, April 1960. (A review of America the Vincible by Emmet John Hughes and Beyond Survival by Max Ways.)A Traitor to His Class?
– "A Traitor to His Class?," Kenyon Review, Summer 1960. (A review of Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fielder.)Dead-end Streets
– “Dead-end Streets,” Encounter, February 61.Explaining Ourselves
– “Explaining Ourselves,” Encounter, May 1961.God and Politics in America
– “God and Politics in America,” Encounter, August 1961.Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A
– “Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A,” Encounter, September 1961.Democracy and Its Discontents
– “Democracy and Its Discontents,” Harper's, September 1961. (A review of eight books.)Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold
– “Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold,” The New Leader, January 7, 1963.One Man, One Vote
– “One Man, One Vote,” The New Leader, June 24, 1963.The View from Miami
– “The View from Miami,” Encounter, November 1963. (A review of Great Britain or Little England? by John Mander, A State of England by Anthony Hartley, and The Outsiders: A Liberal View of Britain by James Morris.)My Friend, the Professor
– “My Friend, the Professor,” The New Leader, November 11, 1963.The Squares vs. the Yahoos
– “The Squares vs. the Yahoos,” The New Leader, September 14, 1964.From the Land of the Free to the Big PX
– "From the Land of the Free to the Big PX," New York Times Magazine, December 20, 1964.The 20th Century Began in 1945
– “The 20th Century Began in 1945,” New York Times Magazine, May 2, 1965.One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society
– “One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society,” Harper's, March 1966. (A review of Freedom Through Power by William Withers and Reclaiming the American Dream by Richard C. Cornuelle.)A New Isolationism?
– “A New Isolationism?” Encounter, June 1966.American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy
– “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, July 1967.Excerpt: An intellectual may be defined as a man who speaks with general authority about a subject on which he has no particular competence. This definition sounds ironic, but is not. The… More
Who’s in Charge Here?
– “Who's in Charge Here?” Fortune, November 1967. (A review of The Power Structure by Arnold Rose.)The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics
– "The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics," New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1968.Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s
– “Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s,” in The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition, ed. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond (De Kalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1968).A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come
– “A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come” (with Paul Weaver), New York Times Magazine, November 23, 1969.American Historians and the Democratic Idea
– "American Historians and the Democratic Idea," American Scholar, Winter 1969-1970.Barbarians from Within
– “Barbarians from Within,” Fortune, March 1970. (A review of Decline of Radicalism: Reflections on America Today by Daniel Boorstin.)Urban Civilization and Its Discontents
– "Urban Civilization and Its Discontents," Commentary, July 1970. (Adapted from the inaugural lecture as Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University, delivered April 15, 1970.)Excerpt: What has happened, clearly, is that provincial America—that America which at least paid lip service to, if it did not live by, the traditional republican morality—that America… More
“When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”—Some Reflections on Capitalism and “the Free Society”
– "'When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness’—Some Reflections on Capitalism and 'the Free Society'," The Public Interest, Fall 1970.Excerpt: I use the word “conservative” advisedly. Though the discontents of our civilization express themselves in the rhetoric of “liberation” and… More
Is the Urban Crisis Real?
– "Is the Urban Crisis Real?" (a rejoinder to Jerome Zukosky), Commentary, November 1970.Excerpt: In short, I do think that the “real” crisis in America today is largely—not entirely, of course, but largely—a moral-philosophical one, and that it cannot be dealt with… More
The Urban Crisis (Cont’d)
– "The Urban Crisis (Cont'd)" (A reply to letters), Commentary, January 1971.Excerpt: Usually, and fortunately, the kind of disagreement that has emerged between Mr. Zukosky and myself tends to remain “academic.” In settled times, the modes of civility in daily… More
The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale
– “The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale,” Fortune, August 1971. (A review of Movement Toward a New America by Mitch Gooden.)A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism
– "A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism," New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1971.On the Democratic Idea in America
– New York: Harper, 1972.1. Urban Civilization and its Discontents 2. The Shaking of the Foundations 3. Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship 4. American Historians and the Democratic Idea 5. American… More
The Need for a Philosophy of Education
– “The Need for a Philosophy of Education” (remarks originally delivered as part of a conference at Rockefeller University on February 21-22, 1972) in The Idea of a Modern University, ed. Sidney Hook, Paul Kurtz, and Miro Todorovich (New York: Prometheus Books, 1974).An Urban Civilization without Cities
– “An Urban Civilization without Cities,” Horizon, Autumn 1972.Is the American Worker “Alienated”?
– “Is the American Worker 'Alienated'?” Wall Street Journal, January 18, 1973.Convalescing from the Frantic ’60s
– “Convalescing from the Frantic '60s,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 1973.The Misgivings of a Philanthropist
– “The Misgivings of a Philanthropist,” Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1973.The Nightmare of Watergate
– “The Nightmare of Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 1973.What Comes Next after Watergate
– “What Comes Next after Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 1973.The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
– “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution” (lecture delivered at American Enterprise Institute, October 12, 1973), printed in America's Continuing Revolution: An Act of Conservation (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1975).Excerpt: As we approach the bicentennial of the American Revolution, we find ourselves in a paradoxical and embarrassing situation. A celebration of some kind certainly seems to be in… More
Coping With the Realities of the 70’s
– “Coping With the Realities of the 70's” (Lecture at the Super Market Institute, Bal Harbor, Florida), January 13-16, 1974.A College President Discusses America
– “A College President Discusses America,” Fortune, April 1974. (A review of Blue-Collar Journey by John R. Coleman.)The Meaning of Kissinger
– “The Meaning of Kissinger,” Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1974.Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions
– “Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions” delivered at and then reprinted by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, May 1974. (Reprinted in The Alternative, February 1975.)Excerpt: This is a serious matter. For the American democracy today seems really to have no other purpose than to create more and more Scarsdales—to convert the entire nation into a… More
The Inexorable Rise of the Executive
– “The Inexorable Rise of the Executive,” Wall Street Journal, September 20, 1974.Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society
– "Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society" (Lecture at the 1974 Educational Testing Service conference), printed in Moral Development (Princeton, NJ: ETS, 1975).Excerpt: Properly understood, authority is to be distinguished from power, which is the capacity to coerce. In the case of authority, power is not experienced as coercive because it is… More
The Politics of Appeasement
– “The Politics of Appeasement,” Wall Street Journal, February 12, 1975.On Corporate Capitalism in America
– "On Corporate Capitalism in America," The Public Interest, Fall 1975.Excerpt: Whether for good or evil—and one can leave this for future historians to debate–the large corporation has gone “quasi-public,” i.e., it now straddles,… More
What Is a “Neo-Conservative”?
– “What Is a ‘Neo-Conservative’?” Newsweek, January 19, 1976.Excerpt: 1. Neo-conservatism is not at all hostile to the idea of a welfare state, but it is critical of the Great Society version of this welfare state. In general, it approves of… More
Notes on the Spirit of ’76
– “Notes on the Spirit of '76,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 1976.Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels
– “Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 1976.Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?
– “Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?” New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1976.Professors, Politicians and Public Policy
– Professors, Politicians and Public Policy: A Round Table Held on July 29, 1977 (AEI Forum No. 10), ed. John Charles Daly (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977).How Equal Can We Be?
– “How Equal Can We Be?” (An interview), Business and Society Review, Fall 1977.In Memory of Martin Diamond
– “In Memory of Martin Diamond,” The Alternative, October 1977.The Measure of America
– “The Measure of America,” Oklahoma Observer, December 25, 1977.Two Cheers for Capitalism
– New York: Basic Books, March 1978.PART ONE: The Enemy of Being is Having 1. Corporate Capitalism in America 2. Business and the “New Class” 3. Frustrations of Affluence 4. Ideology and Food 5. The… More
The White House Virus
– “The White House Virus,” Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1978.Is America Moving Right? Ought It?
– ''Is America Moving Right? Ought It?” (A conversation with Irving Kristol and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), Public Opinion, September/October, 1978.The “New Class” Revisited
– “The 'New Class' Revisited,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1979.Blame It on the People!
– “Blame It on the People!” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1979.The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals
– “The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals,” Encounter, October 1979.The Trilateral Commission Factor
– “The Trilateral Commission Factor,” Wall Street Journal, April 16, 1980.Neo-Conservative Guru to America’s New Order
– “Neo-Conservative Guru to America's New Order” (A discussion), MacLean's, January 19, 1981.Our Country and Our Culture
– Our Country and Our Culture (Proceedings of a Committee for the Free World conference held February 12-13, 1983 in New York), (New York: Orwell Press, 1989).Reflections of a Neoconservative: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
– New York: Basic Books, October 1983.I. IN THE BEGINNING… 1. Memoirs of a Trotskyist 2. Memoirs of a “Cold Warrior” II. THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM 3. The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals 4.… More
Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American
– “Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American,” Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities, 1984.)A Transatlantic “Misunderstanding”: The Case of Central America
– “A Transatlantic ‘Misunderstanding’: The Case of Central America,” Encounter, March 1985.Our Four-Party System
– “Our Four-Party System,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1984.International Law and International Lies
– “International Law and International Lies,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1985.Excerpt: This new version of international law, and the liberal internationalist foreign policy associated with it, has played out its string. The senselessness of its… More
The New Populism: Not to Worry
– “The New Populism: Not to Worry,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 1985.Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology
– “Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology,” The National Interest, Fall 1985.How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?
– “How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?” (A symposium), Commentary, November 1985.After New Models
– “After New Models,” Times Literary Supplement, December 6, 1985. (A review of The Trouble with America by Michael Crozier.)“Human Rights”: The Hidden Agenda
– “'Human Rights': The Hidden Agenda,” The National Interest, Winter 1986-87.Excerpt: A final point: There are some conservative (or non-left) “human rights” activists who feel that this theme can be exploited for purposes of anti-communist and… More
The Spirit of ’87
– "The Spirit of '87," The Public Interest, Winter 1987.Excerpt: THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION is a highly paradoxical document. Rhetorically, it is dry, legalistic, lacking in eloquence. Substantively, too, while it may not in fact have been “the… More
Wills’ America: A “Sophisticate” Takes Revenge
– “Wills' America: A 'Sophisticate' Takes Revenge,” Washington Times, February 9, 1987. (A review of Reagan's America by Garry Wills.)Virtues and Vices of Democracy
– "Virtues and Vices of Democracy" (A Federalist Society symposium), November 7, 1987.Religion and the Constitution
– "Religion and the Constitution" (An AEI symposium), December 1, 1987.U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time
– “U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1988.The Trouble with Republicans
– “The Trouble with Republicans,” Wall Street Journal, August 22, 1988.The Question of Patriotism
– “The Question of Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal, September 16, 1988.Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan
– "Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan," (Remarks for a symposium), American Enterprise Institute, December 7, 1988.Excerpt: As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave the White House, he also leaves those of us who study American politics and American history with an interesting question: What is it that has… More
Christmas, Christians, and Jews
– “Christmas, Christians, and Jews,” National Review, December 30, 1988.Excerpt: Once upon a time, long before the idea or phrase “sensitivity training” was born, the various religious groups in our heterogeneous society had developed a strategy for… More
The End of History?
– “The End of History?” (A symposium), The National Interest, Summer 1989.This Is the Place to Be
– “This Is the Place to Be” (Interview with Ken Adelman), Washingtonian, July 1989.Reagan and the Conservative Movement
– "Reagan and the Conservative Movement" (A Heritage Foundation round-table discussion), December 13, 1989.On the Character of American Political Order
– “On the Character of American Political Order,” In The Promise of American Politics: Principles and Practice after Two Hundred Years, ed. Robert Utley (New York: University Press of America, 1989).12 Years and Out!
– “12 Years and Out!” Washington Post, June 10, 1990.Defining Our National Interest
– "Defining Our National Interest," The National Interest, Fall 1990.Taking Political Things Personally
– “Taking Political Things Personally,” Times Literary Supplement, March 5, 1991. (A review of The American "Empire" and Other Studies of US Foreign Policy in a Comparative Perspective by Geir Lundestad and US Foreign Policy in the 1990s edited by Greg Schmergel.)Standing Room Only
– “Standing Room Only,” Times Literary Supplement, July 12, 1991. (A review of American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar.)The Future of American Jewry
– "The Future of American Jewry," Commentary, August 1991Excerpt: Is this picture of 21st-century America good or bad? Specifically, is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? The instinctive response of most Jews, committed to their secular… More
Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.America’s Mysterious Malaise
– “America's Mysterious Malaise,” Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 1992.Multi-Culturalism, “Political Correctness,” and America’s Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?
– "Multi-Culturalism, 'Political Correctness,' and America's Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?"Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday
– Christopher DeMuth, George Will, Walter Berns, Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and William Kristol, "Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday," The American Enterprise Institute, January 21, 1995.Excerpt: If what is called neoconservatism is by now an institution of sorts, it truly is what Emerson said institutions are–the lengthening shadow of a man. And the man is Irving… More
Irving Kristol’s Moral Realism
– Philip Selznick, "Irving Kristol's Moral Realism," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).The Common Man’s Uncommon Intellectual
– Michael S. Joyce, "The Common Man's Uncommon Intellectual," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American
– Michael Novak, "Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).A Tribute to Irving Kristol
– William E. Simon, "A Tribute to Irving Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Culture and Kristol
– Robert H. Bork, "Culture and Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Magazines & American Politics
– "Magazines & American Politics" (A symposium of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University), February 27, 1995.America’s “Exceptional Conservatism”
– “America's 'Exceptional Conservatism',” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1995.America Dreaming
– “America Dreaming,” Wall Street Journal, August 13, 1995.Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea
– New York: Free Press, 1995.SECTION I 1. An Autobiographical Memoir SECTION II: RACE, SEX, AND FAMILY 2. Welfare: The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results 3. The Tragedy of “Multiculturalism” 4.… More
America’s “Exceptional” Conservatism
– “America’s ‘Exceptional’ Conservatism” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).An Autobiographical Memoir
– “An Autobiographical Memoir” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).Excerpt: Is there such a thing as a “neo” gene? I ask that question because, looking back over a lifetime of my opinions, I am struck by the fact that they all quality as “neo.” I… More
American Conservatism, 1945-1995
– "American Conservatism, 1945-1995," The Public Interest, Fall 1995.Excerpt: THE Public Interest was born well before the term “neoconservative” was invented, and will—I trust—be alive and active when the term is of only historical interest. That… More
The National Prospect
– "The National Prospect" (A Symposium), Commentary, November 1995.Excerpt: I am persuaded that a serious religious revival is under way in this country. But just how this revival will make out when it confronts the hedonism of our popular culture and the… More
A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy
– “A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 1996.Excerpt: Everyone from American scholars to foreign statesmen finds American foreign policy very puzzling. And so the basic tenor of all commentaries on this policy, at any time and from… More
The Next President
– "The Next President" (An AEI symposium), September 6, 1996.The Right Stuff
– “The Right Stuff,” Prospect, October 1996.Excerpt: I remember the day very well, back in 1956, when I arrived at my office at Encounter-of which I was then co-editor-and found on my desk an unsolicited manuscript by Michael… More
The Tipping-Point Election
– “The Tipping-Point Election: Will Future Americans Look Back at the 1996 Vote and Say 'Bingo'?” American Enterprise, November/December 1996.The Emerging American Imperium
– "The Emerging American Imperium," Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1997.Excerpt: The world has never seen an imperium of this kind, and it is hard to know what to make of it. In its favor, it lacks the brute coercion that characterized European imperialism. But… More
Arguing the World
– "Arguing the World" (A documentary), written and directed by Joseph Dorman, January 7, 1998.A Note on Religious Tolerance
– “A Note on Religious Tolerance,” Conservative Judaism, Summer 1998.Excerpt: I am all in favor of Americans of a particular religion learning about other religions. On the other hand, I have little use for all these Christian-Jewish dialogues that are so… More
On the Political Stupidity of the Jews
– "On the Political Stupidity of the Jews," Azure, Autumn 1999.Excerpt: The novelist Saul Bellow is fond of recalling a political incident from his youth. Saul, then an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, was, like so many of us in the 1930s,… More
Faith à la Carte
– "Faith à la Carte," The Times Literary Supplement, May 26, 2000.Excerpt: With an unprecedented level of prosperity and the end of the Cold War, the American people say they want change—it is practically un-American for someone to say he does not want… More
The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional
– "The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional" (Bradley Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute), October 15, 2001.Irving Kristol Bradley Lecture The Education, so to speak, of a Neoconservative [EDITED TRANSCRIPT] A few years ago the journals rang me up and asked, do you think neo-conservatism lives,… More
Book Discussion on “On Two Wings”
– "Book Discussion on On Two Wings" (An AEI symposium), December 4, 2001.Three Cheers for Irving by David Brooks
– David Brooks, "Three Cheers for Irving," The New York Times, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Kristol championed capitalism and wrote brilliantly about Adam Smith. But like Smith, he could only give two cheers for capitalism, because the system of creative destruction has… More
Irving Kristol: The “Universal Resource”
– Tevi Troy, "Irving Kristol: The 'Universal Resource'," The Corner blog, National Review, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Goldwin was not the only White House staffer enamored of Kristol. Then–deputy chief of staff Dick Cheney was a fan as well, and he wrote in a memo to Goldwin, “I greatly… More
The Practical Liberal by Christopher DeMuth
– Christopher DeMuth, "The Practical Liberal," The American, September 22, 2009.Excerpt: Irving was, from start to finish, a proponent of vigorous government within its proper sphere. He never passed up a chance to enter a dissent, serious or wisecracking, against… More
Irving Kristol
– "Irving Kristol," The Economist, September 24, 2009.Excerpt: Conservatism, Kristol-style, acquired a “neo”. He was always, he mused, a neo-something: neoMarxist, neoliberal, neo-Orthodox (because he believed, though he wasn’t sure… More
The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol by Eric Cohen
– Eric Cohen, "The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol," National Affairs, Winter 2010.Excerpt: Neoconservatism was, as Kristol always described it, merely a “persuasion” that tried to “imagine the world as it might be,” but also to “live and… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
– New York: Basic Books, 2011.Foreword: In Memoriam: Irving Kristol, 1920-2009: William Kristol Introduction by Gertrude Himmelfarb I. IN THE BEGINNING . . . : Enquiry Auden: The Quality of Doubt A Christian… More
Irving Kristol and Republican Virtue
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" blog, Commentary, January 24, 2011.Excerpt: On C-SPAN’s series After Words, David Brooks hosted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with William Kristol on The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942-2009,… More
Irving Kristol’s Brute Reason
– Paul Berman, "Irving Kristol's Brute Reason," New York Times Book Review, January 30, 2011.Excerpt: And, in this new spirit, he plunged into his magnum opus, which, instead of a book, was the constructing of something called “neoconservatism.” This was intended to be a new… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion
– Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Irwin Stelzer, Leon Kass, and William Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion" (A panel discussion), February 2, 2011.A Cheerful Conservative
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" Blog, Commentary, May 12, 2014.Excerpt: Building on Tom Wilson’s fine post on the creation of the Foundation for Constitutional Government’s new website devoted to the writings of Irving Kristol… More
Commentary
How Basic Is “Basic Judaism”?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World
– "How Basic Is 'Basic Judaism'?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World," Commentary, January 1948. (A review of Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg.)Excerpt: It is social philosophy that is his talking point, and not religion. Judaism, Rabbi Steinberg finds, has an immanent political doctrine that adds up to “political democracy, to a… More
Who’s Superstitious?
– "Who's Superstitious?" Commentary, November 1948.Excerpt: Outside, breathing in the gasoline-scented air of Central Park, I closed my eyes and bid nostalgic farewell to a world that knew not the redeeming truths of biology. Where Jews… More
In Power Begins Curiosity
– “In Power Begins Curiosity,” Partisan Review, no. 3, 1952. (A review of The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr.)McGranery and Charlie Chaplin
– “McGranery and Charlie Chaplin,” The New Leader, November 24, 1952.American Ghosts
– “American Ghosts,” Encounter, July 1954. (A review of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow and Brothers to Dragons by R. D. Warner.)Table Talk
– “Table Talk,” Encounter, October 1955.America: Mystery and Mystifications
– “America: Mystery and Mystifications,” Encounter, January 1956. (A review of American Government by Richard Pear, History of the United States by R. B. Nie and J. E. Mopurgo, The Great Experiment by Frank Thistlethwaite, and The Age of Reform: From Bryan to FDR by Richard Hofstadter.)The College and the University
– “The College and the University,” Encounter, March 1956. (A review of The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States by Richard Hofstadter and Walter Metzger.)Not One World
– "Not One World," Commentary, August 1956. (A review of American Politics in a Revolutionary World, by Chester Bowles.)Excerpt: Basically, what Mr. Bowles has done is to follow the honorable 19th-century custom of transplanting the Whig interpretation of history—history as the unfolding story of… More
“A Condition of Mere Nature”
– “'A Condition of Mere Nature',” Encounter, October 1956. (A review of The Anglo-American Tradition in Foreign Affairs edited by Arnold Wolfers and Lawrence W. Martin.)Vox Populi, Vox Dei?
– “Vox Populi, Vox Dei?” Encounter, March 1957. (A review of Torment of Secrecy by Edward Shils and Freedom or Secrecy by James Russell Wiggins.)A Mixed Bag
– “A Mixed Bag,” Encounter, June 1957.American Ambiguities
– “American Ambiguities,” Encounter, January 1958. (A review of The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Meyers.)Excerpt: One of the most fruitful of Professor Meyers’ insights is contained in the title. The word “persuasion,” which he defines as “a half-formulated moral perspective… More
Letter to an American
– “Letter to an American,” Yale Review, Summer 1958.Strange Gods on Capitol Hill
– “Strange Gods on Capitol Hill,” Reporter, November 12, 1959. (A review of Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.)D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett
– "D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett," Commentary, February 1960. (A review of Mark Twain and Southwestern Humor by Kenneth S. Lynn.)Excerpt: There is nothing quite like American humorous writing in the literature of other nations. Nowhere else is humor so central to the literary tradition, so intimately revealing of the… More
A Matter of Fundamentals
– “A Matter of Fundamentals,” Encounter, April 1960. (A review of America the Vincible by Emmet John Hughes and Beyond Survival by Max Ways.)A Traitor to His Class?
– "A Traitor to His Class?," Kenyon Review, Summer 1960. (A review of Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fielder.)Dead-end Streets
– “Dead-end Streets,” Encounter, February 61.Explaining Ourselves
– “Explaining Ourselves,” Encounter, May 1961.God and Politics in America
– “God and Politics in America,” Encounter, August 1961.Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A
– “Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A,” Encounter, September 1961.Democracy and Its Discontents
– “Democracy and Its Discontents,” Harper's, September 1961. (A review of eight books.)Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold
– “Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold,” The New Leader, January 7, 1963.One Man, One Vote
– “One Man, One Vote,” The New Leader, June 24, 1963.The View from Miami
– “The View from Miami,” Encounter, November 1963. (A review of Great Britain or Little England? by John Mander, A State of England by Anthony Hartley, and The Outsiders: A Liberal View of Britain by James Morris.)My Friend, the Professor
– “My Friend, the Professor,” The New Leader, November 11, 1963.The Squares vs. the Yahoos
– “The Squares vs. the Yahoos,” The New Leader, September 14, 1964.From the Land of the Free to the Big PX
– "From the Land of the Free to the Big PX," New York Times Magazine, December 20, 1964.The 20th Century Began in 1945
– “The 20th Century Began in 1945,” New York Times Magazine, May 2, 1965.One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society
– “One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society,” Harper's, March 1966. (A review of Freedom Through Power by William Withers and Reclaiming the American Dream by Richard C. Cornuelle.)A New Isolationism?
– “A New Isolationism?” Encounter, June 1966.American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy
– “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, July 1967.Excerpt: An intellectual may be defined as a man who speaks with general authority about a subject on which he has no particular competence. This definition sounds ironic, but is not. The… More
Who’s in Charge Here?
– “Who's in Charge Here?” Fortune, November 1967. (A review of The Power Structure by Arnold Rose.)The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics
– "The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics," New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1968.Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s
– “Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s,” in The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition, ed. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond (De Kalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1968).A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come
– “A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come” (with Paul Weaver), New York Times Magazine, November 23, 1969.American Historians and the Democratic Idea
– "American Historians and the Democratic Idea," American Scholar, Winter 1969-1970.Barbarians from Within
– “Barbarians from Within,” Fortune, March 1970. (A review of Decline of Radicalism: Reflections on America Today by Daniel Boorstin.)Urban Civilization and Its Discontents
– "Urban Civilization and Its Discontents," Commentary, July 1970. (Adapted from the inaugural lecture as Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University, delivered April 15, 1970.)Excerpt: What has happened, clearly, is that provincial America—that America which at least paid lip service to, if it did not live by, the traditional republican morality—that America… More
“When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”—Some Reflections on Capitalism and “the Free Society”
– "'When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness’—Some Reflections on Capitalism and 'the Free Society'," The Public Interest, Fall 1970.Excerpt: I use the word “conservative” advisedly. Though the discontents of our civilization express themselves in the rhetoric of “liberation” and… More
Is the Urban Crisis Real?
– "Is the Urban Crisis Real?" (a rejoinder to Jerome Zukosky), Commentary, November 1970.Excerpt: In short, I do think that the “real” crisis in America today is largely—not entirely, of course, but largely—a moral-philosophical one, and that it cannot be dealt with… More
The Urban Crisis (Cont’d)
– "The Urban Crisis (Cont'd)" (A reply to letters), Commentary, January 1971.Excerpt: Usually, and fortunately, the kind of disagreement that has emerged between Mr. Zukosky and myself tends to remain “academic.” In settled times, the modes of civility in daily… More
The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale
– “The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale,” Fortune, August 1971. (A review of Movement Toward a New America by Mitch Gooden.)A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism
– "A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism," New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1971.On the Democratic Idea in America
– New York: Harper, 1972.1. Urban Civilization and its Discontents 2. The Shaking of the Foundations 3. Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship 4. American Historians and the Democratic Idea 5. American… More
The Need for a Philosophy of Education
– “The Need for a Philosophy of Education” (remarks originally delivered as part of a conference at Rockefeller University on February 21-22, 1972) in The Idea of a Modern University, ed. Sidney Hook, Paul Kurtz, and Miro Todorovich (New York: Prometheus Books, 1974).An Urban Civilization without Cities
– “An Urban Civilization without Cities,” Horizon, Autumn 1972.Is the American Worker “Alienated”?
– “Is the American Worker 'Alienated'?” Wall Street Journal, January 18, 1973.Convalescing from the Frantic ’60s
– “Convalescing from the Frantic '60s,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 1973.The Misgivings of a Philanthropist
– “The Misgivings of a Philanthropist,” Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1973.The Nightmare of Watergate
– “The Nightmare of Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 1973.What Comes Next after Watergate
– “What Comes Next after Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 1973.The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
– “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution” (lecture delivered at American Enterprise Institute, October 12, 1973), printed in America's Continuing Revolution: An Act of Conservation (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1975).Excerpt: As we approach the bicentennial of the American Revolution, we find ourselves in a paradoxical and embarrassing situation. A celebration of some kind certainly seems to be in… More
Coping With the Realities of the 70’s
– “Coping With the Realities of the 70's” (Lecture at the Super Market Institute, Bal Harbor, Florida), January 13-16, 1974.A College President Discusses America
– “A College President Discusses America,” Fortune, April 1974. (A review of Blue-Collar Journey by John R. Coleman.)The Meaning of Kissinger
– “The Meaning of Kissinger,” Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1974.Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions
– “Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions” delivered at and then reprinted by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, May 1974. (Reprinted in The Alternative, February 1975.)Excerpt: This is a serious matter. For the American democracy today seems really to have no other purpose than to create more and more Scarsdales—to convert the entire nation into a… More
The Inexorable Rise of the Executive
– “The Inexorable Rise of the Executive,” Wall Street Journal, September 20, 1974.Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society
– "Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society" (Lecture at the 1974 Educational Testing Service conference), printed in Moral Development (Princeton, NJ: ETS, 1975).Excerpt: Properly understood, authority is to be distinguished from power, which is the capacity to coerce. In the case of authority, power is not experienced as coercive because it is… More
The Politics of Appeasement
– “The Politics of Appeasement,” Wall Street Journal, February 12, 1975.On Corporate Capitalism in America
– "On Corporate Capitalism in America," The Public Interest, Fall 1975.Excerpt: Whether for good or evil—and one can leave this for future historians to debate–the large corporation has gone “quasi-public,” i.e., it now straddles,… More
What Is a “Neo-Conservative”?
– “What Is a ‘Neo-Conservative’?” Newsweek, January 19, 1976.Excerpt: 1. Neo-conservatism is not at all hostile to the idea of a welfare state, but it is critical of the Great Society version of this welfare state. In general, it approves of… More
Notes on the Spirit of ’76
– “Notes on the Spirit of '76,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 1976.Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels
– “Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 1976.Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?
– “Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?” New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1976.Professors, Politicians and Public Policy
– Professors, Politicians and Public Policy: A Round Table Held on July 29, 1977 (AEI Forum No. 10), ed. John Charles Daly (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977).How Equal Can We Be?
– “How Equal Can We Be?” (An interview), Business and Society Review, Fall 1977.In Memory of Martin Diamond
– “In Memory of Martin Diamond,” The Alternative, October 1977.The Measure of America
– “The Measure of America,” Oklahoma Observer, December 25, 1977.Two Cheers for Capitalism
– New York: Basic Books, March 1978.PART ONE: The Enemy of Being is Having 1. Corporate Capitalism in America 2. Business and the “New Class” 3. Frustrations of Affluence 4. Ideology and Food 5. The… More
The White House Virus
– “The White House Virus,” Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1978.Is America Moving Right? Ought It?
– ''Is America Moving Right? Ought It?” (A conversation with Irving Kristol and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), Public Opinion, September/October, 1978.The “New Class” Revisited
– “The 'New Class' Revisited,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1979.Blame It on the People!
– “Blame It on the People!” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1979.The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals
– “The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals,” Encounter, October 1979.The Trilateral Commission Factor
– “The Trilateral Commission Factor,” Wall Street Journal, April 16, 1980.Neo-Conservative Guru to America’s New Order
– “Neo-Conservative Guru to America's New Order” (A discussion), MacLean's, January 19, 1981.Our Country and Our Culture
– Our Country and Our Culture (Proceedings of a Committee for the Free World conference held February 12-13, 1983 in New York), (New York: Orwell Press, 1989).Reflections of a Neoconservative: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
– New York: Basic Books, October 1983.I. IN THE BEGINNING… 1. Memoirs of a Trotskyist 2. Memoirs of a “Cold Warrior” II. THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM 3. The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals 4.… More
Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American
– “Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American,” Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities, 1984.)A Transatlantic “Misunderstanding”: The Case of Central America
– “A Transatlantic ‘Misunderstanding’: The Case of Central America,” Encounter, March 1985.Our Four-Party System
– “Our Four-Party System,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1984.International Law and International Lies
– “International Law and International Lies,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1985.Excerpt: This new version of international law, and the liberal internationalist foreign policy associated with it, has played out its string. The senselessness of its… More
The New Populism: Not to Worry
– “The New Populism: Not to Worry,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 1985.Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology
– “Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology,” The National Interest, Fall 1985.How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?
– “How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?” (A symposium), Commentary, November 1985.After New Models
– “After New Models,” Times Literary Supplement, December 6, 1985. (A review of The Trouble with America by Michael Crozier.)“Human Rights”: The Hidden Agenda
– “'Human Rights': The Hidden Agenda,” The National Interest, Winter 1986-87.Excerpt: A final point: There are some conservative (or non-left) “human rights” activists who feel that this theme can be exploited for purposes of anti-communist and… More
The Spirit of ’87
– "The Spirit of '87," The Public Interest, Winter 1987.Excerpt: THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION is a highly paradoxical document. Rhetorically, it is dry, legalistic, lacking in eloquence. Substantively, too, while it may not in fact have been “the… More
Wills’ America: A “Sophisticate” Takes Revenge
– “Wills' America: A 'Sophisticate' Takes Revenge,” Washington Times, February 9, 1987. (A review of Reagan's America by Garry Wills.)Virtues and Vices of Democracy
– "Virtues and Vices of Democracy" (A Federalist Society symposium), November 7, 1987.Religion and the Constitution
– "Religion and the Constitution" (An AEI symposium), December 1, 1987.U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time
– “U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1988.The Trouble with Republicans
– “The Trouble with Republicans,” Wall Street Journal, August 22, 1988.The Question of Patriotism
– “The Question of Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal, September 16, 1988.Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan
– "Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan," (Remarks for a symposium), American Enterprise Institute, December 7, 1988.Excerpt: As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave the White House, he also leaves those of us who study American politics and American history with an interesting question: What is it that has… More
Christmas, Christians, and Jews
– “Christmas, Christians, and Jews,” National Review, December 30, 1988.Excerpt: Once upon a time, long before the idea or phrase “sensitivity training” was born, the various religious groups in our heterogeneous society had developed a strategy for… More
The End of History?
– “The End of History?” (A symposium), The National Interest, Summer 1989.This Is the Place to Be
– “This Is the Place to Be” (Interview with Ken Adelman), Washingtonian, July 1989.Reagan and the Conservative Movement
– "Reagan and the Conservative Movement" (A Heritage Foundation round-table discussion), December 13, 1989.On the Character of American Political Order
– “On the Character of American Political Order,” In The Promise of American Politics: Principles and Practice after Two Hundred Years, ed. Robert Utley (New York: University Press of America, 1989).12 Years and Out!
– “12 Years and Out!” Washington Post, June 10, 1990.Defining Our National Interest
– "Defining Our National Interest," The National Interest, Fall 1990.Taking Political Things Personally
– “Taking Political Things Personally,” Times Literary Supplement, March 5, 1991. (A review of The American "Empire" and Other Studies of US Foreign Policy in a Comparative Perspective by Geir Lundestad and US Foreign Policy in the 1990s edited by Greg Schmergel.)Standing Room Only
– “Standing Room Only,” Times Literary Supplement, July 12, 1991. (A review of American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar.)The Future of American Jewry
– "The Future of American Jewry," Commentary, August 1991Excerpt: Is this picture of 21st-century America good or bad? Specifically, is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? The instinctive response of most Jews, committed to their secular… More
Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.America’s Mysterious Malaise
– “America's Mysterious Malaise,” Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 1992.Multi-Culturalism, “Political Correctness,” and America’s Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?
– "Multi-Culturalism, 'Political Correctness,' and America's Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?"Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday
– Christopher DeMuth, George Will, Walter Berns, Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and William Kristol, "Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday," The American Enterprise Institute, January 21, 1995.Excerpt: If what is called neoconservatism is by now an institution of sorts, it truly is what Emerson said institutions are–the lengthening shadow of a man. And the man is Irving… More
Irving Kristol’s Moral Realism
– Philip Selznick, "Irving Kristol's Moral Realism," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).The Common Man’s Uncommon Intellectual
– Michael S. Joyce, "The Common Man's Uncommon Intellectual," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American
– Michael Novak, "Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).A Tribute to Irving Kristol
– William E. Simon, "A Tribute to Irving Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Culture and Kristol
– Robert H. Bork, "Culture and Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Magazines & American Politics
– "Magazines & American Politics" (A symposium of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University), February 27, 1995.America’s “Exceptional Conservatism”
– “America's 'Exceptional Conservatism',” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1995.America Dreaming
– “America Dreaming,” Wall Street Journal, August 13, 1995.Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea
– New York: Free Press, 1995.SECTION I 1. An Autobiographical Memoir SECTION II: RACE, SEX, AND FAMILY 2. Welfare: The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results 3. The Tragedy of “Multiculturalism” 4.… More
America’s “Exceptional” Conservatism
– “America’s ‘Exceptional’ Conservatism” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).An Autobiographical Memoir
– “An Autobiographical Memoir” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).Excerpt: Is there such a thing as a “neo” gene? I ask that question because, looking back over a lifetime of my opinions, I am struck by the fact that they all quality as “neo.” I… More
American Conservatism, 1945-1995
– "American Conservatism, 1945-1995," The Public Interest, Fall 1995.Excerpt: THE Public Interest was born well before the term “neoconservative” was invented, and will—I trust—be alive and active when the term is of only historical interest. That… More
The National Prospect
– "The National Prospect" (A Symposium), Commentary, November 1995.Excerpt: I am persuaded that a serious religious revival is under way in this country. But just how this revival will make out when it confronts the hedonism of our popular culture and the… More
A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy
– “A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 1996.Excerpt: Everyone from American scholars to foreign statesmen finds American foreign policy very puzzling. And so the basic tenor of all commentaries on this policy, at any time and from… More
The Next President
– "The Next President" (An AEI symposium), September 6, 1996.The Right Stuff
– “The Right Stuff,” Prospect, October 1996.Excerpt: I remember the day very well, back in 1956, when I arrived at my office at Encounter-of which I was then co-editor-and found on my desk an unsolicited manuscript by Michael… More
The Tipping-Point Election
– “The Tipping-Point Election: Will Future Americans Look Back at the 1996 Vote and Say 'Bingo'?” American Enterprise, November/December 1996.The Emerging American Imperium
– "The Emerging American Imperium," Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1997.Excerpt: The world has never seen an imperium of this kind, and it is hard to know what to make of it. In its favor, it lacks the brute coercion that characterized European imperialism. But… More
Arguing the World
– "Arguing the World" (A documentary), written and directed by Joseph Dorman, January 7, 1998.A Note on Religious Tolerance
– “A Note on Religious Tolerance,” Conservative Judaism, Summer 1998.Excerpt: I am all in favor of Americans of a particular religion learning about other religions. On the other hand, I have little use for all these Christian-Jewish dialogues that are so… More
On the Political Stupidity of the Jews
– "On the Political Stupidity of the Jews," Azure, Autumn 1999.Excerpt: The novelist Saul Bellow is fond of recalling a political incident from his youth. Saul, then an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, was, like so many of us in the 1930s,… More
Faith à la Carte
– "Faith à la Carte," The Times Literary Supplement, May 26, 2000.Excerpt: With an unprecedented level of prosperity and the end of the Cold War, the American people say they want change—it is practically un-American for someone to say he does not want… More
The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional
– "The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional" (Bradley Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute), October 15, 2001.Irving Kristol Bradley Lecture The Education, so to speak, of a Neoconservative [EDITED TRANSCRIPT] A few years ago the journals rang me up and asked, do you think neo-conservatism lives,… More
Book Discussion on “On Two Wings”
– "Book Discussion on On Two Wings" (An AEI symposium), December 4, 2001.Three Cheers for Irving by David Brooks
– David Brooks, "Three Cheers for Irving," The New York Times, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Kristol championed capitalism and wrote brilliantly about Adam Smith. But like Smith, he could only give two cheers for capitalism, because the system of creative destruction has… More
Irving Kristol: The “Universal Resource”
– Tevi Troy, "Irving Kristol: The 'Universal Resource'," The Corner blog, National Review, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Goldwin was not the only White House staffer enamored of Kristol. Then–deputy chief of staff Dick Cheney was a fan as well, and he wrote in a memo to Goldwin, “I greatly… More
The Practical Liberal by Christopher DeMuth
– Christopher DeMuth, "The Practical Liberal," The American, September 22, 2009.Excerpt: Irving was, from start to finish, a proponent of vigorous government within its proper sphere. He never passed up a chance to enter a dissent, serious or wisecracking, against… More
Irving Kristol
– "Irving Kristol," The Economist, September 24, 2009.Excerpt: Conservatism, Kristol-style, acquired a “neo”. He was always, he mused, a neo-something: neoMarxist, neoliberal, neo-Orthodox (because he believed, though he wasn’t sure… More
The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol by Eric Cohen
– Eric Cohen, "The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol," National Affairs, Winter 2010.Excerpt: Neoconservatism was, as Kristol always described it, merely a “persuasion” that tried to “imagine the world as it might be,” but also to “live and… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
– New York: Basic Books, 2011.Foreword: In Memoriam: Irving Kristol, 1920-2009: William Kristol Introduction by Gertrude Himmelfarb I. IN THE BEGINNING . . . : Enquiry Auden: The Quality of Doubt A Christian… More
Irving Kristol and Republican Virtue
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" blog, Commentary, January 24, 2011.Excerpt: On C-SPAN’s series After Words, David Brooks hosted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with William Kristol on The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942-2009,… More
Irving Kristol’s Brute Reason
– Paul Berman, "Irving Kristol's Brute Reason," New York Times Book Review, January 30, 2011.Excerpt: And, in this new spirit, he plunged into his magnum opus, which, instead of a book, was the constructing of something called “neoconservatism.” This was intended to be a new… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion
– Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Irwin Stelzer, Leon Kass, and William Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion" (A panel discussion), February 2, 2011.A Cheerful Conservative
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" Blog, Commentary, May 12, 2014.Excerpt: Building on Tom Wilson’s fine post on the creation of the Foundation for Constitutional Government’s new website devoted to the writings of Irving Kristol… More
Multimedia
How Basic Is “Basic Judaism”?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World
– "How Basic Is 'Basic Judaism'?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World," Commentary, January 1948. (A review of Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg.)Excerpt: It is social philosophy that is his talking point, and not religion. Judaism, Rabbi Steinberg finds, has an immanent political doctrine that adds up to “political democracy, to a… More
Who’s Superstitious?
– "Who's Superstitious?" Commentary, November 1948.Excerpt: Outside, breathing in the gasoline-scented air of Central Park, I closed my eyes and bid nostalgic farewell to a world that knew not the redeeming truths of biology. Where Jews… More
In Power Begins Curiosity
– “In Power Begins Curiosity,” Partisan Review, no. 3, 1952. (A review of The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr.)McGranery and Charlie Chaplin
– “McGranery and Charlie Chaplin,” The New Leader, November 24, 1952.American Ghosts
– “American Ghosts,” Encounter, July 1954. (A review of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow and Brothers to Dragons by R. D. Warner.)Table Talk
– “Table Talk,” Encounter, October 1955.America: Mystery and Mystifications
– “America: Mystery and Mystifications,” Encounter, January 1956. (A review of American Government by Richard Pear, History of the United States by R. B. Nie and J. E. Mopurgo, The Great Experiment by Frank Thistlethwaite, and The Age of Reform: From Bryan to FDR by Richard Hofstadter.)The College and the University
– “The College and the University,” Encounter, March 1956. (A review of The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States by Richard Hofstadter and Walter Metzger.)Not One World
– "Not One World," Commentary, August 1956. (A review of American Politics in a Revolutionary World, by Chester Bowles.)Excerpt: Basically, what Mr. Bowles has done is to follow the honorable 19th-century custom of transplanting the Whig interpretation of history—history as the unfolding story of… More
“A Condition of Mere Nature”
– “'A Condition of Mere Nature',” Encounter, October 1956. (A review of The Anglo-American Tradition in Foreign Affairs edited by Arnold Wolfers and Lawrence W. Martin.)Vox Populi, Vox Dei?
– “Vox Populi, Vox Dei?” Encounter, March 1957. (A review of Torment of Secrecy by Edward Shils and Freedom or Secrecy by James Russell Wiggins.)A Mixed Bag
– “A Mixed Bag,” Encounter, June 1957.American Ambiguities
– “American Ambiguities,” Encounter, January 1958. (A review of The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Meyers.)Excerpt: One of the most fruitful of Professor Meyers’ insights is contained in the title. The word “persuasion,” which he defines as “a half-formulated moral perspective… More
Letter to an American
– “Letter to an American,” Yale Review, Summer 1958.Strange Gods on Capitol Hill
– “Strange Gods on Capitol Hill,” Reporter, November 12, 1959. (A review of Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.)D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett
– "D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett," Commentary, February 1960. (A review of Mark Twain and Southwestern Humor by Kenneth S. Lynn.)Excerpt: There is nothing quite like American humorous writing in the literature of other nations. Nowhere else is humor so central to the literary tradition, so intimately revealing of the… More
A Matter of Fundamentals
– “A Matter of Fundamentals,” Encounter, April 1960. (A review of America the Vincible by Emmet John Hughes and Beyond Survival by Max Ways.)A Traitor to His Class?
– "A Traitor to His Class?," Kenyon Review, Summer 1960. (A review of Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fielder.)Dead-end Streets
– “Dead-end Streets,” Encounter, February 61.Explaining Ourselves
– “Explaining Ourselves,” Encounter, May 1961.God and Politics in America
– “God and Politics in America,” Encounter, August 1961.Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A
– “Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A,” Encounter, September 1961.Democracy and Its Discontents
– “Democracy and Its Discontents,” Harper's, September 1961. (A review of eight books.)Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold
– “Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold,” The New Leader, January 7, 1963.One Man, One Vote
– “One Man, One Vote,” The New Leader, June 24, 1963.The View from Miami
– “The View from Miami,” Encounter, November 1963. (A review of Great Britain or Little England? by John Mander, A State of England by Anthony Hartley, and The Outsiders: A Liberal View of Britain by James Morris.)My Friend, the Professor
– “My Friend, the Professor,” The New Leader, November 11, 1963.The Squares vs. the Yahoos
– “The Squares vs. the Yahoos,” The New Leader, September 14, 1964.From the Land of the Free to the Big PX
– "From the Land of the Free to the Big PX," New York Times Magazine, December 20, 1964.The 20th Century Began in 1945
– “The 20th Century Began in 1945,” New York Times Magazine, May 2, 1965.One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society
– “One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society,” Harper's, March 1966. (A review of Freedom Through Power by William Withers and Reclaiming the American Dream by Richard C. Cornuelle.)A New Isolationism?
– “A New Isolationism?” Encounter, June 1966.American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy
– “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, July 1967.Excerpt: An intellectual may be defined as a man who speaks with general authority about a subject on which he has no particular competence. This definition sounds ironic, but is not. The… More
Who’s in Charge Here?
– “Who's in Charge Here?” Fortune, November 1967. (A review of The Power Structure by Arnold Rose.)The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics
– "The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics," New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1968.Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s
– “Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s,” in The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition, ed. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond (De Kalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1968).A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come
– “A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come” (with Paul Weaver), New York Times Magazine, November 23, 1969.American Historians and the Democratic Idea
– "American Historians and the Democratic Idea," American Scholar, Winter 1969-1970.Barbarians from Within
– “Barbarians from Within,” Fortune, March 1970. (A review of Decline of Radicalism: Reflections on America Today by Daniel Boorstin.)Urban Civilization and Its Discontents
– "Urban Civilization and Its Discontents," Commentary, July 1970. (Adapted from the inaugural lecture as Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University, delivered April 15, 1970.)Excerpt: What has happened, clearly, is that provincial America—that America which at least paid lip service to, if it did not live by, the traditional republican morality—that America… More
“When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”—Some Reflections on Capitalism and “the Free Society”
– "'When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness’—Some Reflections on Capitalism and 'the Free Society'," The Public Interest, Fall 1970.Excerpt: I use the word “conservative” advisedly. Though the discontents of our civilization express themselves in the rhetoric of “liberation” and… More
Is the Urban Crisis Real?
– "Is the Urban Crisis Real?" (a rejoinder to Jerome Zukosky), Commentary, November 1970.Excerpt: In short, I do think that the “real” crisis in America today is largely—not entirely, of course, but largely—a moral-philosophical one, and that it cannot be dealt with… More
The Urban Crisis (Cont’d)
– "The Urban Crisis (Cont'd)" (A reply to letters), Commentary, January 1971.Excerpt: Usually, and fortunately, the kind of disagreement that has emerged between Mr. Zukosky and myself tends to remain “academic.” In settled times, the modes of civility in daily… More
The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale
– “The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale,” Fortune, August 1971. (A review of Movement Toward a New America by Mitch Gooden.)A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism
– "A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism," New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1971.On the Democratic Idea in America
– New York: Harper, 1972.1. Urban Civilization and its Discontents 2. The Shaking of the Foundations 3. Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship 4. American Historians and the Democratic Idea 5. American… More
The Need for a Philosophy of Education
– “The Need for a Philosophy of Education” (remarks originally delivered as part of a conference at Rockefeller University on February 21-22, 1972) in The Idea of a Modern University, ed. Sidney Hook, Paul Kurtz, and Miro Todorovich (New York: Prometheus Books, 1974).An Urban Civilization without Cities
– “An Urban Civilization without Cities,” Horizon, Autumn 1972.Is the American Worker “Alienated”?
– “Is the American Worker 'Alienated'?” Wall Street Journal, January 18, 1973.Convalescing from the Frantic ’60s
– “Convalescing from the Frantic '60s,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 1973.The Misgivings of a Philanthropist
– “The Misgivings of a Philanthropist,” Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1973.The Nightmare of Watergate
– “The Nightmare of Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 1973.What Comes Next after Watergate
– “What Comes Next after Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 1973.The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
– “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution” (lecture delivered at American Enterprise Institute, October 12, 1973), printed in America's Continuing Revolution: An Act of Conservation (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1975).Excerpt: As we approach the bicentennial of the American Revolution, we find ourselves in a paradoxical and embarrassing situation. A celebration of some kind certainly seems to be in… More
Coping With the Realities of the 70’s
– “Coping With the Realities of the 70's” (Lecture at the Super Market Institute, Bal Harbor, Florida), January 13-16, 1974.A College President Discusses America
– “A College President Discusses America,” Fortune, April 1974. (A review of Blue-Collar Journey by John R. Coleman.)The Meaning of Kissinger
– “The Meaning of Kissinger,” Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1974.Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions
– “Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions” delivered at and then reprinted by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, May 1974. (Reprinted in The Alternative, February 1975.)Excerpt: This is a serious matter. For the American democracy today seems really to have no other purpose than to create more and more Scarsdales—to convert the entire nation into a… More
The Inexorable Rise of the Executive
– “The Inexorable Rise of the Executive,” Wall Street Journal, September 20, 1974.Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society
– "Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society" (Lecture at the 1974 Educational Testing Service conference), printed in Moral Development (Princeton, NJ: ETS, 1975).Excerpt: Properly understood, authority is to be distinguished from power, which is the capacity to coerce. In the case of authority, power is not experienced as coercive because it is… More
The Politics of Appeasement
– “The Politics of Appeasement,” Wall Street Journal, February 12, 1975.On Corporate Capitalism in America
– "On Corporate Capitalism in America," The Public Interest, Fall 1975.Excerpt: Whether for good or evil—and one can leave this for future historians to debate–the large corporation has gone “quasi-public,” i.e., it now straddles,… More
What Is a “Neo-Conservative”?
– “What Is a ‘Neo-Conservative’?” Newsweek, January 19, 1976.Excerpt: 1. Neo-conservatism is not at all hostile to the idea of a welfare state, but it is critical of the Great Society version of this welfare state. In general, it approves of… More
Notes on the Spirit of ’76
– “Notes on the Spirit of '76,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 1976.Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels
– “Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 1976.Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?
– “Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?” New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1976.Professors, Politicians and Public Policy
– Professors, Politicians and Public Policy: A Round Table Held on July 29, 1977 (AEI Forum No. 10), ed. John Charles Daly (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977).How Equal Can We Be?
– “How Equal Can We Be?” (An interview), Business and Society Review, Fall 1977.In Memory of Martin Diamond
– “In Memory of Martin Diamond,” The Alternative, October 1977.The Measure of America
– “The Measure of America,” Oklahoma Observer, December 25, 1977.Two Cheers for Capitalism
– New York: Basic Books, March 1978.PART ONE: The Enemy of Being is Having 1. Corporate Capitalism in America 2. Business and the “New Class” 3. Frustrations of Affluence 4. Ideology and Food 5. The… More
The White House Virus
– “The White House Virus,” Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1978.Is America Moving Right? Ought It?
– ''Is America Moving Right? Ought It?” (A conversation with Irving Kristol and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), Public Opinion, September/October, 1978.The “New Class” Revisited
– “The 'New Class' Revisited,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1979.Blame It on the People!
– “Blame It on the People!” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1979.The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals
– “The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals,” Encounter, October 1979.The Trilateral Commission Factor
– “The Trilateral Commission Factor,” Wall Street Journal, April 16, 1980.Neo-Conservative Guru to America’s New Order
– “Neo-Conservative Guru to America's New Order” (A discussion), MacLean's, January 19, 1981.Our Country and Our Culture
– Our Country and Our Culture (Proceedings of a Committee for the Free World conference held February 12-13, 1983 in New York), (New York: Orwell Press, 1989).Reflections of a Neoconservative: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
– New York: Basic Books, October 1983.I. IN THE BEGINNING… 1. Memoirs of a Trotskyist 2. Memoirs of a “Cold Warrior” II. THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM 3. The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals 4.… More
Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American
– “Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American,” Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities, 1984.)A Transatlantic “Misunderstanding”: The Case of Central America
– “A Transatlantic ‘Misunderstanding’: The Case of Central America,” Encounter, March 1985.Our Four-Party System
– “Our Four-Party System,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1984.International Law and International Lies
– “International Law and International Lies,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1985.Excerpt: This new version of international law, and the liberal internationalist foreign policy associated with it, has played out its string. The senselessness of its… More
The New Populism: Not to Worry
– “The New Populism: Not to Worry,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 1985.Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology
– “Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology,” The National Interest, Fall 1985.How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?
– “How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?” (A symposium), Commentary, November 1985.After New Models
– “After New Models,” Times Literary Supplement, December 6, 1985. (A review of The Trouble with America by Michael Crozier.)“Human Rights”: The Hidden Agenda
– “'Human Rights': The Hidden Agenda,” The National Interest, Winter 1986-87.Excerpt: A final point: There are some conservative (or non-left) “human rights” activists who feel that this theme can be exploited for purposes of anti-communist and… More
The Spirit of ’87
– "The Spirit of '87," The Public Interest, Winter 1987.Excerpt: THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION is a highly paradoxical document. Rhetorically, it is dry, legalistic, lacking in eloquence. Substantively, too, while it may not in fact have been “the… More
Wills’ America: A “Sophisticate” Takes Revenge
– “Wills' America: A 'Sophisticate' Takes Revenge,” Washington Times, February 9, 1987. (A review of Reagan's America by Garry Wills.)Virtues and Vices of Democracy
– "Virtues and Vices of Democracy" (A Federalist Society symposium), November 7, 1987.Religion and the Constitution
– "Religion and the Constitution" (An AEI symposium), December 1, 1987.U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time
– “U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1988.The Trouble with Republicans
– “The Trouble with Republicans,” Wall Street Journal, August 22, 1988.The Question of Patriotism
– “The Question of Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal, September 16, 1988.Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan
– "Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan," (Remarks for a symposium), American Enterprise Institute, December 7, 1988.Excerpt: As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave the White House, he also leaves those of us who study American politics and American history with an interesting question: What is it that has… More
Christmas, Christians, and Jews
– “Christmas, Christians, and Jews,” National Review, December 30, 1988.Excerpt: Once upon a time, long before the idea or phrase “sensitivity training” was born, the various religious groups in our heterogeneous society had developed a strategy for… More
The End of History?
– “The End of History?” (A symposium), The National Interest, Summer 1989.This Is the Place to Be
– “This Is the Place to Be” (Interview with Ken Adelman), Washingtonian, July 1989.Reagan and the Conservative Movement
– "Reagan and the Conservative Movement" (A Heritage Foundation round-table discussion), December 13, 1989.On the Character of American Political Order
– “On the Character of American Political Order,” In The Promise of American Politics: Principles and Practice after Two Hundred Years, ed. Robert Utley (New York: University Press of America, 1989).12 Years and Out!
– “12 Years and Out!” Washington Post, June 10, 1990.Defining Our National Interest
– "Defining Our National Interest," The National Interest, Fall 1990.Taking Political Things Personally
– “Taking Political Things Personally,” Times Literary Supplement, March 5, 1991. (A review of The American "Empire" and Other Studies of US Foreign Policy in a Comparative Perspective by Geir Lundestad and US Foreign Policy in the 1990s edited by Greg Schmergel.)Standing Room Only
– “Standing Room Only,” Times Literary Supplement, July 12, 1991. (A review of American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar.)The Future of American Jewry
– "The Future of American Jewry," Commentary, August 1991Excerpt: Is this picture of 21st-century America good or bad? Specifically, is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? The instinctive response of most Jews, committed to their secular… More
Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.America’s Mysterious Malaise
– “America's Mysterious Malaise,” Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 1992.Multi-Culturalism, “Political Correctness,” and America’s Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?
– "Multi-Culturalism, 'Political Correctness,' and America's Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?"Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday
– Christopher DeMuth, George Will, Walter Berns, Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and William Kristol, "Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday," The American Enterprise Institute, January 21, 1995.Excerpt: If what is called neoconservatism is by now an institution of sorts, it truly is what Emerson said institutions are–the lengthening shadow of a man. And the man is Irving… More
Irving Kristol’s Moral Realism
– Philip Selznick, "Irving Kristol's Moral Realism," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).The Common Man’s Uncommon Intellectual
– Michael S. Joyce, "The Common Man's Uncommon Intellectual," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American
– Michael Novak, "Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).A Tribute to Irving Kristol
– William E. Simon, "A Tribute to Irving Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Culture and Kristol
– Robert H. Bork, "Culture and Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Magazines & American Politics
– "Magazines & American Politics" (A symposium of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University), February 27, 1995.America’s “Exceptional Conservatism”
– “America's 'Exceptional Conservatism',” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1995.America Dreaming
– “America Dreaming,” Wall Street Journal, August 13, 1995.Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea
– New York: Free Press, 1995.SECTION I 1. An Autobiographical Memoir SECTION II: RACE, SEX, AND FAMILY 2. Welfare: The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results 3. The Tragedy of “Multiculturalism” 4.… More
America’s “Exceptional” Conservatism
– “America’s ‘Exceptional’ Conservatism” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).An Autobiographical Memoir
– “An Autobiographical Memoir” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).Excerpt: Is there such a thing as a “neo” gene? I ask that question because, looking back over a lifetime of my opinions, I am struck by the fact that they all quality as “neo.” I… More
American Conservatism, 1945-1995
– "American Conservatism, 1945-1995," The Public Interest, Fall 1995.Excerpt: THE Public Interest was born well before the term “neoconservative” was invented, and will—I trust—be alive and active when the term is of only historical interest. That… More
The National Prospect
– "The National Prospect" (A Symposium), Commentary, November 1995.Excerpt: I am persuaded that a serious religious revival is under way in this country. But just how this revival will make out when it confronts the hedonism of our popular culture and the… More
A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy
– “A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 1996.Excerpt: Everyone from American scholars to foreign statesmen finds American foreign policy very puzzling. And so the basic tenor of all commentaries on this policy, at any time and from… More
The Next President
– "The Next President" (An AEI symposium), September 6, 1996.The Right Stuff
– “The Right Stuff,” Prospect, October 1996.Excerpt: I remember the day very well, back in 1956, when I arrived at my office at Encounter-of which I was then co-editor-and found on my desk an unsolicited manuscript by Michael… More
The Tipping-Point Election
– “The Tipping-Point Election: Will Future Americans Look Back at the 1996 Vote and Say 'Bingo'?” American Enterprise, November/December 1996.The Emerging American Imperium
– "The Emerging American Imperium," Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1997.Excerpt: The world has never seen an imperium of this kind, and it is hard to know what to make of it. In its favor, it lacks the brute coercion that characterized European imperialism. But… More
Arguing the World
– "Arguing the World" (A documentary), written and directed by Joseph Dorman, January 7, 1998.A Note on Religious Tolerance
– “A Note on Religious Tolerance,” Conservative Judaism, Summer 1998.Excerpt: I am all in favor of Americans of a particular religion learning about other religions. On the other hand, I have little use for all these Christian-Jewish dialogues that are so… More
On the Political Stupidity of the Jews
– "On the Political Stupidity of the Jews," Azure, Autumn 1999.Excerpt: The novelist Saul Bellow is fond of recalling a political incident from his youth. Saul, then an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, was, like so many of us in the 1930s,… More
Faith à la Carte
– "Faith à la Carte," The Times Literary Supplement, May 26, 2000.Excerpt: With an unprecedented level of prosperity and the end of the Cold War, the American people say they want change—it is practically un-American for someone to say he does not want… More
The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional
– "The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional" (Bradley Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute), October 15, 2001.Irving Kristol Bradley Lecture The Education, so to speak, of a Neoconservative [EDITED TRANSCRIPT] A few years ago the journals rang me up and asked, do you think neo-conservatism lives,… More
Book Discussion on “On Two Wings”
– "Book Discussion on On Two Wings" (An AEI symposium), December 4, 2001.Three Cheers for Irving by David Brooks
– David Brooks, "Three Cheers for Irving," The New York Times, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Kristol championed capitalism and wrote brilliantly about Adam Smith. But like Smith, he could only give two cheers for capitalism, because the system of creative destruction has… More
Irving Kristol: The “Universal Resource”
– Tevi Troy, "Irving Kristol: The 'Universal Resource'," The Corner blog, National Review, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Goldwin was not the only White House staffer enamored of Kristol. Then–deputy chief of staff Dick Cheney was a fan as well, and he wrote in a memo to Goldwin, “I greatly… More
The Practical Liberal by Christopher DeMuth
– Christopher DeMuth, "The Practical Liberal," The American, September 22, 2009.Excerpt: Irving was, from start to finish, a proponent of vigorous government within its proper sphere. He never passed up a chance to enter a dissent, serious or wisecracking, against… More
Irving Kristol
– "Irving Kristol," The Economist, September 24, 2009.Excerpt: Conservatism, Kristol-style, acquired a “neo”. He was always, he mused, a neo-something: neoMarxist, neoliberal, neo-Orthodox (because he believed, though he wasn’t sure… More
The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol by Eric Cohen
– Eric Cohen, "The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol," National Affairs, Winter 2010.Excerpt: Neoconservatism was, as Kristol always described it, merely a “persuasion” that tried to “imagine the world as it might be,” but also to “live and… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
– New York: Basic Books, 2011.Foreword: In Memoriam: Irving Kristol, 1920-2009: William Kristol Introduction by Gertrude Himmelfarb I. IN THE BEGINNING . . . : Enquiry Auden: The Quality of Doubt A Christian… More
Irving Kristol and Republican Virtue
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" blog, Commentary, January 24, 2011.Excerpt: On C-SPAN’s series After Words, David Brooks hosted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with William Kristol on The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942-2009,… More
Irving Kristol’s Brute Reason
– Paul Berman, "Irving Kristol's Brute Reason," New York Times Book Review, January 30, 2011.Excerpt: And, in this new spirit, he plunged into his magnum opus, which, instead of a book, was the constructing of something called “neoconservatism.” This was intended to be a new… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion
– Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Irwin Stelzer, Leon Kass, and William Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion" (A panel discussion), February 2, 2011.A Cheerful Conservative
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" Blog, Commentary, May 12, 2014.Excerpt: Building on Tom Wilson’s fine post on the creation of the Foundation for Constitutional Government’s new website devoted to the writings of Irving Kristol… More
Teaching
How Basic Is “Basic Judaism”?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World
– "How Basic Is 'Basic Judaism'?: A Comfortable Religion for an Uncomfortable World," Commentary, January 1948. (A review of Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg.)Excerpt: It is social philosophy that is his talking point, and not religion. Judaism, Rabbi Steinberg finds, has an immanent political doctrine that adds up to “political democracy, to a… More
Who’s Superstitious?
– "Who's Superstitious?" Commentary, November 1948.Excerpt: Outside, breathing in the gasoline-scented air of Central Park, I closed my eyes and bid nostalgic farewell to a world that knew not the redeeming truths of biology. Where Jews… More
In Power Begins Curiosity
– “In Power Begins Curiosity,” Partisan Review, no. 3, 1952. (A review of The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr.)McGranery and Charlie Chaplin
– “McGranery and Charlie Chaplin,” The New Leader, November 24, 1952.American Ghosts
– “American Ghosts,” Encounter, July 1954. (A review of The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow and Brothers to Dragons by R. D. Warner.)Table Talk
– “Table Talk,” Encounter, October 1955.America: Mystery and Mystifications
– “America: Mystery and Mystifications,” Encounter, January 1956. (A review of American Government by Richard Pear, History of the United States by R. B. Nie and J. E. Mopurgo, The Great Experiment by Frank Thistlethwaite, and The Age of Reform: From Bryan to FDR by Richard Hofstadter.)The College and the University
– “The College and the University,” Encounter, March 1956. (A review of The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States by Richard Hofstadter and Walter Metzger.)Not One World
– "Not One World," Commentary, August 1956. (A review of American Politics in a Revolutionary World, by Chester Bowles.)Excerpt: Basically, what Mr. Bowles has done is to follow the honorable 19th-century custom of transplanting the Whig interpretation of history—history as the unfolding story of… More
“A Condition of Mere Nature”
– “'A Condition of Mere Nature',” Encounter, October 1956. (A review of The Anglo-American Tradition in Foreign Affairs edited by Arnold Wolfers and Lawrence W. Martin.)Vox Populi, Vox Dei?
– “Vox Populi, Vox Dei?” Encounter, March 1957. (A review of Torment of Secrecy by Edward Shils and Freedom or Secrecy by James Russell Wiggins.)A Mixed Bag
– “A Mixed Bag,” Encounter, June 1957.American Ambiguities
– “American Ambiguities,” Encounter, January 1958. (A review of The Jacksonian Persuasion by Marvin Meyers.)Excerpt: One of the most fruitful of Professor Meyers’ insights is contained in the title. The word “persuasion,” which he defines as “a half-formulated moral perspective… More
Letter to an American
– “Letter to an American,” Yale Review, Summer 1958.Strange Gods on Capitol Hill
– “Strange Gods on Capitol Hill,” Reporter, November 12, 1959. (A review of Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.)D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett
– "D-a-v-y Da-vy Crockett," Commentary, February 1960. (A review of Mark Twain and Southwestern Humor by Kenneth S. Lynn.)Excerpt: There is nothing quite like American humorous writing in the literature of other nations. Nowhere else is humor so central to the literary tradition, so intimately revealing of the… More
A Matter of Fundamentals
– “A Matter of Fundamentals,” Encounter, April 1960. (A review of America the Vincible by Emmet John Hughes and Beyond Survival by Max Ways.)A Traitor to His Class?
– "A Traitor to His Class?," Kenyon Review, Summer 1960. (A review of Love and Death in the American Novel by Leslie A. Fielder.)Dead-end Streets
– “Dead-end Streets,” Encounter, February 61.Explaining Ourselves
– “Explaining Ourselves,” Encounter, May 1961.God and Politics in America
– “God and Politics in America,” Encounter, August 1961.Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A
– “Of G.E., T.V., J.F.K. and U.S.A,” Encounter, September 1961.Democracy and Its Discontents
– “Democracy and Its Discontents,” Harper's, September 1961. (A review of eight books.)Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold
– “Of Newton Minow and Matthew Arnold,” The New Leader, January 7, 1963.One Man, One Vote
– “One Man, One Vote,” The New Leader, June 24, 1963.The View from Miami
– “The View from Miami,” Encounter, November 1963. (A review of Great Britain or Little England? by John Mander, A State of England by Anthony Hartley, and The Outsiders: A Liberal View of Britain by James Morris.)My Friend, the Professor
– “My Friend, the Professor,” The New Leader, November 11, 1963.The Squares vs. the Yahoos
– “The Squares vs. the Yahoos,” The New Leader, September 14, 1964.From the Land of the Free to the Big PX
– "From the Land of the Free to the Big PX," New York Times Magazine, December 20, 1964.The 20th Century Began in 1945
– “The 20th Century Began in 1945,” New York Times Magazine, May 2, 1965.One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society
– “One Utopian, One Sensible Way to Reconcile State and Society,” Harper's, March 1966. (A review of Freedom Through Power by William Withers and Reclaiming the American Dream by Richard C. Cornuelle.)A New Isolationism?
– “A New Isolationism?” Encounter, June 1966.American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy
– “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, July 1967.Excerpt: An intellectual may be defined as a man who speaks with general authority about a subject on which he has no particular competence. This definition sounds ironic, but is not. The… More
Who’s in Charge Here?
– “Who's in Charge Here?” Fortune, November 1967. (A review of The Power Structure by Arnold Rose.)The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics
– "The Old Politics, the New Politics, the New, New Politics," New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1968.Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s
– “Ten Years in a Tunnel: Reflections on the 1930s,” in The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition, ed. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond (De Kalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1968).A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come
– “A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come” (with Paul Weaver), New York Times Magazine, November 23, 1969.American Historians and the Democratic Idea
– "American Historians and the Democratic Idea," American Scholar, Winter 1969-1970.Barbarians from Within
– “Barbarians from Within,” Fortune, March 1970. (A review of Decline of Radicalism: Reflections on America Today by Daniel Boorstin.)Urban Civilization and Its Discontents
– "Urban Civilization and Its Discontents," Commentary, July 1970. (Adapted from the inaugural lecture as Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Values at New York University, delivered April 15, 1970.)Excerpt: What has happened, clearly, is that provincial America—that America which at least paid lip service to, if it did not live by, the traditional republican morality—that America… More
“When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”—Some Reflections on Capitalism and “the Free Society”
– "'When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness’—Some Reflections on Capitalism and 'the Free Society'," The Public Interest, Fall 1970.Excerpt: I use the word “conservative” advisedly. Though the discontents of our civilization express themselves in the rhetoric of “liberation” and… More
Is the Urban Crisis Real?
– "Is the Urban Crisis Real?" (a rejoinder to Jerome Zukosky), Commentary, November 1970.Excerpt: In short, I do think that the “real” crisis in America today is largely—not entirely, of course, but largely—a moral-philosophical one, and that it cannot be dealt with… More
The Urban Crisis (Cont’d)
– "The Urban Crisis (Cont'd)" (A reply to letters), Commentary, January 1971.Excerpt: Usually, and fortunately, the kind of disagreement that has emerged between Mr. Zukosky and myself tends to remain “academic.” In settled times, the modes of civility in daily… More
The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale
– “The Young Are Trying to Tell Us Something about Scarsdale,” Fortune, August 1971. (A review of Movement Toward a New America by Mitch Gooden.)A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism
– "A Foolish American Ism – Utopianism," New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1971.On the Democratic Idea in America
– New York: Harper, 1972.1. Urban Civilization and its Discontents 2. The Shaking of the Foundations 3. Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship 4. American Historians and the Democratic Idea 5. American… More
The Need for a Philosophy of Education
– “The Need for a Philosophy of Education” (remarks originally delivered as part of a conference at Rockefeller University on February 21-22, 1972) in The Idea of a Modern University, ed. Sidney Hook, Paul Kurtz, and Miro Todorovich (New York: Prometheus Books, 1974).An Urban Civilization without Cities
– “An Urban Civilization without Cities,” Horizon, Autumn 1972.Is the American Worker “Alienated”?
– “Is the American Worker 'Alienated'?” Wall Street Journal, January 18, 1973.Convalescing from the Frantic ’60s
– “Convalescing from the Frantic '60s,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 1973.The Misgivings of a Philanthropist
– “The Misgivings of a Philanthropist,” Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1973.The Nightmare of Watergate
– “The Nightmare of Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, May 17, 1973.What Comes Next after Watergate
– “What Comes Next after Watergate,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 1973.The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution
– “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution” (lecture delivered at American Enterprise Institute, October 12, 1973), printed in America's Continuing Revolution: An Act of Conservation (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1975).Excerpt: As we approach the bicentennial of the American Revolution, we find ourselves in a paradoxical and embarrassing situation. A celebration of some kind certainly seems to be in… More
Coping With the Realities of the 70’s
– “Coping With the Realities of the 70's” (Lecture at the Super Market Institute, Bal Harbor, Florida), January 13-16, 1974.A College President Discusses America
– “A College President Discusses America,” Fortune, April 1974. (A review of Blue-Collar Journey by John R. Coleman.)The Meaning of Kissinger
– “The Meaning of Kissinger,” Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1974.Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions
– “Republican Virtue vs. Servile Institutions” delivered at and then reprinted by the Poynter Center at Indiana University, May 1974. (Reprinted in The Alternative, February 1975.)Excerpt: This is a serious matter. For the American democracy today seems really to have no other purpose than to create more and more Scarsdales—to convert the entire nation into a… More
The Inexorable Rise of the Executive
– “The Inexorable Rise of the Executive,” Wall Street Journal, September 20, 1974.Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society
– "Moral and Ethical Development in a Democratic Society" (Lecture at the 1974 Educational Testing Service conference), printed in Moral Development (Princeton, NJ: ETS, 1975).Excerpt: Properly understood, authority is to be distinguished from power, which is the capacity to coerce. In the case of authority, power is not experienced as coercive because it is… More
The Politics of Appeasement
– “The Politics of Appeasement,” Wall Street Journal, February 12, 1975.On Corporate Capitalism in America
– "On Corporate Capitalism in America," The Public Interest, Fall 1975.Excerpt: Whether for good or evil—and one can leave this for future historians to debate–the large corporation has gone “quasi-public,” i.e., it now straddles,… More
What Is a “Neo-Conservative”?
– “What Is a ‘Neo-Conservative’?” Newsweek, January 19, 1976.Excerpt: 1. Neo-conservatism is not at all hostile to the idea of a welfare state, but it is critical of the Great Society version of this welfare state. In general, it approves of… More
Notes on the Spirit of ’76
– “Notes on the Spirit of '76,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 1976.Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels
– “Of Decadence and Tennis Flannels,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 1976.Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?
– “Post-Watergate Morality: Too Good for Our Good?” New York Times Magazine, November 14, 1976.Professors, Politicians and Public Policy
– Professors, Politicians and Public Policy: A Round Table Held on July 29, 1977 (AEI Forum No. 10), ed. John Charles Daly (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1977).How Equal Can We Be?
– “How Equal Can We Be?” (An interview), Business and Society Review, Fall 1977.In Memory of Martin Diamond
– “In Memory of Martin Diamond,” The Alternative, October 1977.The Measure of America
– “The Measure of America,” Oklahoma Observer, December 25, 1977.Two Cheers for Capitalism
– New York: Basic Books, March 1978.PART ONE: The Enemy of Being is Having 1. Corporate Capitalism in America 2. Business and the “New Class” 3. Frustrations of Affluence 4. Ideology and Food 5. The… More
The White House Virus
– “The White House Virus,” Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1978.Is America Moving Right? Ought It?
– ''Is America Moving Right? Ought It?” (A conversation with Irving Kristol and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.), Public Opinion, September/October, 1978.The “New Class” Revisited
– “The 'New Class' Revisited,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1979.Blame It on the People!
– “Blame It on the People!” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1979.The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals
– “The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals,” Encounter, October 1979.The Trilateral Commission Factor
– “The Trilateral Commission Factor,” Wall Street Journal, April 16, 1980.Neo-Conservative Guru to America’s New Order
– “Neo-Conservative Guru to America's New Order” (A discussion), MacLean's, January 19, 1981.Our Country and Our Culture
– Our Country and Our Culture (Proceedings of a Committee for the Free World conference held February 12-13, 1983 in New York), (New York: Orwell Press, 1989).Reflections of a Neoconservative: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
– New York: Basic Books, October 1983.I. IN THE BEGINNING… 1. Memoirs of a Trotskyist 2. Memoirs of a “Cold Warrior” II. THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM 3. The Adversary Culture of Intellectuals 4.… More
Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American
– “Sidney Hook: Humanist, Pragmatist, Democrat, American,” Humanities (Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Humanities, 1984.)A Transatlantic “Misunderstanding”: The Case of Central America
– “A Transatlantic ‘Misunderstanding’: The Case of Central America,” Encounter, March 1985.Our Four-Party System
– “Our Four-Party System,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1984.International Law and International Lies
– “International Law and International Lies,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1985.Excerpt: This new version of international law, and the liberal internationalist foreign policy associated with it, has played out its string. The senselessness of its… More
The New Populism: Not to Worry
– “The New Populism: Not to Worry,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 1985.Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology
– “Foreign Policy in an Age of Ideology,” The National Interest, Fall 1985.How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?
– “How Has the United States Met Its Major Challenges since 1945?” (A symposium), Commentary, November 1985.After New Models
– “After New Models,” Times Literary Supplement, December 6, 1985. (A review of The Trouble with America by Michael Crozier.)“Human Rights”: The Hidden Agenda
– “'Human Rights': The Hidden Agenda,” The National Interest, Winter 1986-87.Excerpt: A final point: There are some conservative (or non-left) “human rights” activists who feel that this theme can be exploited for purposes of anti-communist and… More
The Spirit of ’87
– "The Spirit of '87," The Public Interest, Winter 1987.Excerpt: THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION is a highly paradoxical document. Rhetorically, it is dry, legalistic, lacking in eloquence. Substantively, too, while it may not in fact have been “the… More
Wills’ America: A “Sophisticate” Takes Revenge
– “Wills' America: A 'Sophisticate' Takes Revenge,” Washington Times, February 9, 1987. (A review of Reagan's America by Garry Wills.)Virtues and Vices of Democracy
– "Virtues and Vices of Democracy" (A Federalist Society symposium), November 7, 1987.Religion and the Constitution
– "Religion and the Constitution" (An AEI symposium), December 1, 1987.U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time
– “U.S. Foreign Policy Has Outlived Its Time,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1988.The Trouble with Republicans
– “The Trouble with Republicans,” Wall Street Journal, August 22, 1988.The Question of Patriotism
– “The Question of Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal, September 16, 1988.Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan
– "Freedom and Vigilance: Ronald Reagan," (Remarks for a symposium), American Enterprise Institute, December 7, 1988.Excerpt: As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave the White House, he also leaves those of us who study American politics and American history with an interesting question: What is it that has… More
Christmas, Christians, and Jews
– “Christmas, Christians, and Jews,” National Review, December 30, 1988.Excerpt: Once upon a time, long before the idea or phrase “sensitivity training” was born, the various religious groups in our heterogeneous society had developed a strategy for… More
The End of History?
– “The End of History?” (A symposium), The National Interest, Summer 1989.This Is the Place to Be
– “This Is the Place to Be” (Interview with Ken Adelman), Washingtonian, July 1989.Reagan and the Conservative Movement
– "Reagan and the Conservative Movement" (A Heritage Foundation round-table discussion), December 13, 1989.On the Character of American Political Order
– “On the Character of American Political Order,” In The Promise of American Politics: Principles and Practice after Two Hundred Years, ed. Robert Utley (New York: University Press of America, 1989).12 Years and Out!
– “12 Years and Out!” Washington Post, June 10, 1990.Defining Our National Interest
– "Defining Our National Interest," The National Interest, Fall 1990.Taking Political Things Personally
– “Taking Political Things Personally,” Times Literary Supplement, March 5, 1991. (A review of The American "Empire" and Other Studies of US Foreign Policy in a Comparative Perspective by Geir Lundestad and US Foreign Policy in the 1990s edited by Greg Schmergel.)Standing Room Only
– “Standing Room Only,” Times Literary Supplement, July 12, 1991. (A review of American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar.)The Future of American Jewry
– "The Future of American Jewry," Commentary, August 1991Excerpt: Is this picture of 21st-century America good or bad? Specifically, is it good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? The instinctive response of most Jews, committed to their secular… More
Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?
– "Does the Spread of American Popular Culture Advance American Interests?" (An AEI symposium), March 10, 1992.America’s Mysterious Malaise
– “America's Mysterious Malaise,” Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 1992.Multi-Culturalism, “Political Correctness,” and America’s Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?
– "Multi-Culturalism, 'Political Correctness,' and America's Traditional Diversity: Does America, on Balance, Uphold Human Dignity?"Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday
– Christopher DeMuth, George Will, Walter Berns, Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and William Kristol, "Toasts and Remarks Delivered at a Dinner in Honor of Irving Kristol on His Seventy-fifth Birthday," The American Enterprise Institute, January 21, 1995.Excerpt: If what is called neoconservatism is by now an institution of sorts, it truly is what Emerson said institutions are–the lengthening shadow of a man. And the man is Irving… More
Irving Kristol’s Moral Realism
– Philip Selznick, "Irving Kristol's Moral Realism," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).The Common Man’s Uncommon Intellectual
– Michael S. Joyce, "The Common Man's Uncommon Intellectual," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American
– Michael Novak, "Twice Chosen: Irving Kristol as American," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).A Tribute to Irving Kristol
– William E. Simon, "A Tribute to Irving Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Culture and Kristol
– Robert H. Bork, "Culture and Kristol," in The Neoconservative Imagination: Essays in Honor of Irving Kristol, ed. Christopher DeMuth and William Kristol, (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995).Magazines & American Politics
– "Magazines & American Politics" (A symposium of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University), February 27, 1995.America’s “Exceptional Conservatism”
– “America's 'Exceptional Conservatism',” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1995.America Dreaming
– “America Dreaming,” Wall Street Journal, August 13, 1995.Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea
– New York: Free Press, 1995.SECTION I 1. An Autobiographical Memoir SECTION II: RACE, SEX, AND FAMILY 2. Welfare: The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Results 3. The Tragedy of “Multiculturalism” 4.… More
America’s “Exceptional” Conservatism
– “America’s ‘Exceptional’ Conservatism” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).An Autobiographical Memoir
– “An Autobiographical Memoir” from Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea, (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1995).Excerpt: Is there such a thing as a “neo” gene? I ask that question because, looking back over a lifetime of my opinions, I am struck by the fact that they all quality as “neo.” I… More
American Conservatism, 1945-1995
– "American Conservatism, 1945-1995," The Public Interest, Fall 1995.Excerpt: THE Public Interest was born well before the term “neoconservative” was invented, and will—I trust—be alive and active when the term is of only historical interest. That… More
The National Prospect
– "The National Prospect" (A Symposium), Commentary, November 1995.Excerpt: I am persuaded that a serious religious revival is under way in this country. But just how this revival will make out when it confronts the hedonism of our popular culture and the… More
A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy
– “A Post-Wilsonian Foreign Policy,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 1996.Excerpt: Everyone from American scholars to foreign statesmen finds American foreign policy very puzzling. And so the basic tenor of all commentaries on this policy, at any time and from… More
The Next President
– "The Next President" (An AEI symposium), September 6, 1996.The Right Stuff
– “The Right Stuff,” Prospect, October 1996.Excerpt: I remember the day very well, back in 1956, when I arrived at my office at Encounter-of which I was then co-editor-and found on my desk an unsolicited manuscript by Michael… More
The Tipping-Point Election
– “The Tipping-Point Election: Will Future Americans Look Back at the 1996 Vote and Say 'Bingo'?” American Enterprise, November/December 1996.The Emerging American Imperium
– "The Emerging American Imperium," Wall Street Journal, August 18, 1997.Excerpt: The world has never seen an imperium of this kind, and it is hard to know what to make of it. In its favor, it lacks the brute coercion that characterized European imperialism. But… More
Arguing the World
– "Arguing the World" (A documentary), written and directed by Joseph Dorman, January 7, 1998.A Note on Religious Tolerance
– “A Note on Religious Tolerance,” Conservative Judaism, Summer 1998.Excerpt: I am all in favor of Americans of a particular religion learning about other religions. On the other hand, I have little use for all these Christian-Jewish dialogues that are so… More
On the Political Stupidity of the Jews
– "On the Political Stupidity of the Jews," Azure, Autumn 1999.Excerpt: The novelist Saul Bellow is fond of recalling a political incident from his youth. Saul, then an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, was, like so many of us in the 1930s,… More
Faith à la Carte
– "Faith à la Carte," The Times Literary Supplement, May 26, 2000.Excerpt: With an unprecedented level of prosperity and the end of the Cold War, the American people say they want change—it is practically un-American for someone to say he does not want… More
The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional
– "The Education, So to Speak, of a Neoconservative or Why American Conservatism Is Exceptional" (Bradley Lecture at the American Enterprise Institute), October 15, 2001.Irving Kristol Bradley Lecture The Education, so to speak, of a Neoconservative [EDITED TRANSCRIPT] A few years ago the journals rang me up and asked, do you think neo-conservatism lives,… More
Book Discussion on “On Two Wings”
– "Book Discussion on On Two Wings" (An AEI symposium), December 4, 2001.Three Cheers for Irving by David Brooks
– David Brooks, "Three Cheers for Irving," The New York Times, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Kristol championed capitalism and wrote brilliantly about Adam Smith. But like Smith, he could only give two cheers for capitalism, because the system of creative destruction has… More
Irving Kristol: The “Universal Resource”
– Tevi Troy, "Irving Kristol: The 'Universal Resource'," The Corner blog, National Review, September 21, 2009.Excerpt: Goldwin was not the only White House staffer enamored of Kristol. Then–deputy chief of staff Dick Cheney was a fan as well, and he wrote in a memo to Goldwin, “I greatly… More
The Practical Liberal by Christopher DeMuth
– Christopher DeMuth, "The Practical Liberal," The American, September 22, 2009.Excerpt: Irving was, from start to finish, a proponent of vigorous government within its proper sphere. He never passed up a chance to enter a dissent, serious or wisecracking, against… More
Irving Kristol
– "Irving Kristol," The Economist, September 24, 2009.Excerpt: Conservatism, Kristol-style, acquired a “neo”. He was always, he mused, a neo-something: neoMarxist, neoliberal, neo-Orthodox (because he believed, though he wasn’t sure… More
The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol by Eric Cohen
– Eric Cohen, "The Moral Realism of Irving Kristol," National Affairs, Winter 2010.Excerpt: Neoconservatism was, as Kristol always described it, merely a “persuasion” that tried to “imagine the world as it might be,” but also to “live and… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009
– New York: Basic Books, 2011.Foreword: In Memoriam: Irving Kristol, 1920-2009: William Kristol Introduction by Gertrude Himmelfarb I. IN THE BEGINNING . . . : Enquiry Auden: The Quality of Doubt A Christian… More
Irving Kristol and Republican Virtue
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" blog, Commentary, January 24, 2011.Excerpt: On C-SPAN’s series After Words, David Brooks hosted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with William Kristol on The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays 1942-2009,… More
Irving Kristol’s Brute Reason
– Paul Berman, "Irving Kristol's Brute Reason," New York Times Book Review, January 30, 2011.Excerpt: And, in this new spirit, he plunged into his magnum opus, which, instead of a book, was the constructing of something called “neoconservatism.” This was intended to be a new… More
The Neoconservative Persuasion
– Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Irwin Stelzer, Leon Kass, and William Kristol, "The Neoconservative Persuasion" (A panel discussion), February 2, 2011.A Cheerful Conservative
– Peter Wehner, "Contentions" Blog, Commentary, May 12, 2014.Excerpt: Building on Tom Wilson’s fine post on the creation of the Foundation for Constitutional Government’s new website devoted to the writings of Irving Kristol… More