I am thankful for being reminded that even Princeton, yes even Princeton, could not use its enormous prestige and reputation to resist the anti-Communist mania at the close of WWII. It fell into obedience with the false patriotism of anti-Communism with plenty of lesser universities and institutions. This should be a warning to us today when the prestige of our Constitution and of our values and morals may not save us from growing authoritarianism coming from the America First populistic neo-Fascists in and out of the current White House. Princeton demonstrated then that behind its public face of Calvinist rectitude there was phony hypocrisy and a religiosity which meant nothing really valid. We must guard also, then, against the appeal to religion which in our day is not genuine or rational or believable. It is cant! Would that it were instead Kant!
I am thankful for being reminded that even Princeton, yes even Princeton, could not use its enormous prestige and reputation to resist the anti-Communist mania at the close of WWII. It fell into obedience with the false patriotism of anti-Communism with plenty of lesser universities and institutions. This should be a warning to us today when the prestige of our Constitution and of our values and morals may not save us from growing authoritarianism coming from the America First populistic neo-Fascists in and out of the current White House. Princeton demonstrated then that behind its public face of Calvinist rectitude there was phony hypocrisy and a religiosity which meant nothing really valid. We must guard also, then, against the appeal to religion which in our day is not genuine or rational or believable. It is cant! Would that it were instead Kant!