A Model of Courtesy, Respect, and Intellectual Rigor
I am a member of the Class of 1974, a religion/philosophy major and a proud political liberal. As a lawyer with a background in philosophy and political theory and a master’s in religion, I hold Edmund Burke, some other conservatives, and the rule of law in high regard. I also hold my own conservative philosophical convictions related to public order and the sacred role of the engaged, respectful citizen blessed to live in a constitutional democracy.
Shortly after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 presidential election two Trump-supporting alumni formed in 2021 the “Conservative Princeton Association,” an online discussion group maintained by the University. It came to serve as a “home” for MAGA adherents and others bringing their increasingly pro-Trump conservative views to the community of Princeton alumni. Many of the folks who joined the CPA had sharp objections to what they saw as the “woke” tone of university life.
I joined the CPA and, clarifying my pro-liberal and pro-conservative views, I hoped to learn about and digest others’ pro-Trump convictions and, where appropriate, respectfully challenge them. Some CPAers who disagreed with me were uncomfortable and at times even hostile toward both my views and my participation. This was of course a hard time to engage in political disagreement. While many CPAers were serious and careful discussants, some were harsh, a few hoping to expel this dissonant voice. The organizers, to their credit, would not permit any effort to expel me despite harsh feelings and their own discomfort.
Along the way I encountered Dr. Jack Zimmerman. He exhibited grace and warmth toward me and was a model of courtesy, respect, and intellectual rigor, sharp as a tack in his early 90s and a delightful conversant. We had our own multiple side conversations that meant the world to me, in part because I sensed Jack’s finding, even celebrating, his enjoyment of tense, serious engagement around the duties of citizenship in the face of disagreement.
I am a member of the Class of 1974, a religion/philosophy major and a proud political liberal. As a lawyer with a background in philosophy and political theory and a master’s in religion, I hold Edmund Burke, some other conservatives, and the rule of law in high regard. I also hold my own conservative philosophical convictions related to public order and the sacred role of the engaged, respectful citizen blessed to live in a constitutional democracy.
Shortly after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 presidential election two Trump-supporting alumni formed in 2021 the “Conservative Princeton Association,” an online discussion group maintained by the University. It came to serve as a “home” for MAGA adherents and others bringing their increasingly pro-Trump conservative views to the community of Princeton alumni. Many of the folks who joined the CPA had sharp objections to what they saw as the “woke” tone of university life.
I joined the CPA and, clarifying my pro-liberal and pro-conservative views, I hoped to learn about and digest others’ pro-Trump convictions and, where appropriate, respectfully challenge them. Some CPAers who disagreed with me were uncomfortable and at times even hostile toward both my views and my participation. This was of course a hard time to engage in political disagreement. While many CPAers were serious and careful discussants, some were harsh, a few hoping to expel this dissonant voice. The organizers, to their credit, would not permit any effort to expel me despite harsh feelings and their own discomfort.
Along the way I encountered Dr. Jack Zimmerman. He exhibited grace and warmth toward me and was a model of courtesy, respect, and intellectual rigor, sharp as a tack in his early 90s and a delightful conversant. We had our own multiple side conversations that meant the world to me, in part because I sensed Jack’s finding, even celebrating, his enjoyment of tense, serious engagement around the duties of citizenship in the face of disagreement.
May this lovely man rest in peace.