When Charles Krauthammer left medicine for politics in the late 1970s, he was a Jimmy Carter-supporting liberal. When he wrote his last column for The Washington Post in 2018, he had become America’s most prominent conservative voice. But Krauthammer’s conservatism was as unique as his biography—and revealing of the intellectual and political currents of the latter half of the American century. Krauthammer was not only an influential columnist and essayist. He was emblematic of his times.

In this weekend seminar, students will reflect on Charles Krauthammer’s seminal writing, distinguished career, and his life dedicated to the things that matter.

Matthew Continetti on Charles Krauthammer's work

This seminar will take place in Washington, DC. Travel, housing, meals, and course materials are provided by the Hertog Foundation.

Faculty

Matthew Continetti

Matthew Continetti is Editor in Chief of the Washington Free Beacon. Prior to joining the Beacon, he was Opinion Editor of The Weekly Standard, where he remained a Contributing Editor. His articles and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

Readings:

 

Recommended:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe the influences on Krauthammer’s thinking. What events and experiences were important in shaping his sensibility and point of view?
  2. What ideas from Mill and Berlin were most important to Krauthammer?
  3. What is the “central paradox” of Berlin’s pluralism, according to Krauthammer? Does Krauthammer resolve the paradox in his own thinking?

 

George F. Will

George F. Will writes a twice-weekly column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs. He began his column with The Washington Post in 1974, and he received the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1977. He is also a regular contributor to MSNBC and NBC News. His books include: One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation, Restoration: Congress, Term Limits and the Recovery of Deliberative Democracy, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, The New Season: A Spectator’s Guide to the 1988 Election, and Statecraft as Soulcraft. He grew up in Champaign, Illinois, attended Trinity College and Oxford University, and received a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Readings:

Readings:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do Americans see the world, according to Krauthammer? What errors are they susceptible to? What, if anything, mitigates those errors?
  2. Describe Krauthammer’s politics. How did his views change over his career? What continuities do you find?
  3. Was Krauthammer a conservative? If so, what kind of conservative was he?

Readings:

 

Recommended:

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What was the situation of the United States, post-Cold War, according to Krauthammer? What does it mean to say we live in a “unipolar world”? In the age of a rising China and resurgent Russia, is this still true?
  2. What is “democratic realism”? How does it improve upon the other three schools of American foreign policy? According to democratic realism, what justifies American intervention?

Daniel Krauthammer

Daniel Krauthammer is an independent writer and consultant based in San Francisco and Washington, DC. Daniel’s primary professional background is in economic consulting and analysis. He has worked in government and NGOs, where he focused on economic policymaking, and in recent years pursued projects and start-up ventures in the entertainment and technology sectors. He is the editor of The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors. Daniel spent the past year — that last year of his father’s life — close by his father’s side in the hospital, where together they worked toward the completion of that book.

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