Author: David J. Davis
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Top Ten Books that Aren’t on Most “Great Books” Lists
The philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler was perhaps the first to recognize the importance of preserving the integrity of what he called the “Great Books” of the Western tradition. Since then lists of great books from Harold Bloom’s “The Western Canon” to The Greatest Books.org have attempted to capture the best and most significant works in […]
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Be All My Facts Forgotten
Following the dispute over Sabrina Erdely’s article “A Rape on Campus” that was recently retracted from Rolling Stone, it is apparent that the article’s blatant fabrications are less important to many people than the valuable story the article told. Naomi Schaefer Riley’s insightful piece in The New York Post raises the alarm in this regard: The verdict’s in on Rolling […]
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Validity and the Ways We Talk about History
On Jan. 14, 2015, Time reported that Ava DuVernay, director of the new civil rights film Selma, responded to criticism that her film lacks historical accuracy by saying, “Everyone sees history through their own lens and I don’t begrudge anyone from wanting to see what they want to see … This is what I see. This is what […]
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A Bodley Celebration: Remembering Thomas Bodley
Thomas Bodley was born on this day in 1545. While his is not a name that jumps out at most people, including many scholars, his library is arguably the greatest contribution to the conservation of Western culture in England.