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CATEGORY: FAMILY (14 MIN)
Marriage is perhaps the most foundational building block of society. Yet over the past several decades, it’s developed a PR problem. The once-venerable institution is now a frequent punching bag for the left, and even for some voices on the right. But all may not be lost.
Writing in The Atlantic, sociologist Brad Wilcox explains why marriage is here to stay—and is even on the rise. Divorce rates are decreasing, and the number of kids growing up in married, two-parent homes is increasing. The reason for this, Wilcox suggests, is that marriage has adapted to the changing times. Today’s husbands and fathers are more likely to help around the house and with childcare, and couples have more freedom to divide responsibilities in ways that suit their unique circumstances.
Wilcox says that marriage’s comeback is good for everyone. Surveys repeatedly show that married people are happier, healthier, and more financially secure than their single counterparts. These positive trends cross racial, economic, and gender divides, and the advantages for children raised in stable, two-parent homes are undeniable even in mainstream academic circles.
Read the rest of Wilcox’s defense of marriage here.
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Weekly Poll
Results: July 31st, 2025
Are traditional libraries still valuable in the era of instant digital information?
[A] Yes—91.7%
[B] No—2.8%
[C] Not Sure—5.6%
With divorce rates down nearly 40% since the early 1980s, do you think marriage is experiencing a cultural comeback?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Not sure
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CATEGORY: CULTURE (5 MIN)
American Eagle’s latest ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney sparked an online frenzy last week. The tagline—“Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”—was declared by some to be a white supremacist dog whistle, signaling the brand’s support for race-based eugenics.
Writing for First Things, John M. Grondelski finds the backlash deeply ironic. The real eugenics threat in America, he argues, is not a playful pun about good genes in ad campaigns; it is the unquestioned abortion orthodoxy in America that declares abortion is legitimate at any time for any reason. As Grondelski explains, that license includes abortions for sex selection and in response to prenatal diagnoses of disabilities. These clear examples of eugenics are not only accepted but praised by the ruling elites in America, who casually overlook Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger’s overt eugenic beliefs.
Abortion is not the only arena for modern eugenics. Artificial reproductive technologies allow would-be parents to select for preferred genetic traits—yet another instance of eugenics that somehow escaped the online mob.
Grondelski concludes that the outcry over the American Eagle campaign signals the “atrophied American definition of eugenics.” Read more of his argument here.
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CATEGORY: VIDEO
Penn Station was once a crown jewel of American architecture, a grand Beaux-Arts gateway to New York City that elevated the experience of public life. Then it was demolished.
In this excerpt from his lecture at ISI's Art and Philosophy Summer School, Justin Shubow tells the story of Penn Station’s creation and destruction, and what it meant for our culture and civic identity. He explains how the building reflected a time when corporations built with the public good in mind, and why its loss remains one of the greatest architectural and civic tragedies of the 20th century.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
W&L Mishandles Summer Power Outage via The W&L Spectator
“Construction work near the Department of Public Safety office at Washington and Lee University caused an unplanned campus-wide power outage on Monday, June 23. According to students on campus, workers accidentally drilled into a power line in the heating and cooling plant. Regarding the university’s response to the issue, the lack of communication was jarring. Despite the power outage occurring around 11:10 that morning, the school did not send a single notification until 12:42 P.M., using the LiveSafe app, W&L’s tool for communicating campus alerts to the school community.”
EBF and Kairos Suspended due to Title VI Violation via The Stanford Review
“On July 21, 2025, Stanford announced that it would suspend the co-op status of Enchanted Broccoli Forest (EBF) and Kairos. The decision was announced after a month-long investigation into the co-ops found that they violated Title VI, the federal law that prohibits harassment and discrimination based on race, color, national origin, and shared ancestry in educational institutions. In an official statement, administrators explained that EBF violated Title VI through discriminatory language targeting white and male students.”
Why Diversity Is Not BYU-Idaho’s Mission via The Cougar Chronicle
“On June 26, the official student publication of Brigham Young University-Idaho, known as Scroll, published an article entitled ‘Diversity in Discipleship.’ Written by Gracie Romero, the article calls upon the campus and administration of BYU-I to hold more events and celebrations of the different cultures presented on campus, claiming that the Church should create new wards to represent each of the languages spoken natively on campus. Backing this claim, one student from the article states, ‘You can’t live in your own mindset. You have to embrace other people’s mindset.’ The author herself states that the only way for BYU-I to be a ‘place of refuge’ is if the campus ‘embrace[s] cultural diversity.’”
Why the Lions Will Likely Regress in 2025 via The Michigan Review
“After a record-shattering 2024 regular season, one that saw the Detroit Lions go 15-2 and claim their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NFC, expectations heading into the playoffs were understandably high. But despite their dominant regular season showing, the Lions’ campaign ended with a gut punch: a Divisional home playoff loss to the Washington Commanders, led by rookie QB Jayden Daniels in his postseason debut. Now, as the Lions reload for another run, the truth is becoming harder to ignore: that this 2025 team is built on shakier ground. Between critical coaching departures, injury questions, inexperience at key positions, and a significantly tougher schedule, Detroit appears more like a team ready to take a step back than one ready to advance forward.” |
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CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY (7 MIN)
Few acts are more countercultural today than resisting the siren song of all-consuming digital technology. Yet opting out entirely is impossible and would mean forfeiting genuine benefits that technology brings. A better approach for those who want to conserve what it means to be human is to continually reassess the role that technology plays in their daily lives, ensuring that the tools remain subordinate to the human ends they are supposed to advance.
In this week’s article from Modern Age, Joshua Pauling offers five principles for the prudent use of technology in education. He draws on the work of American cultural critic Neil Postman, who not only authored the prescient Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly but also was an educator himself. Pauling urges educators to remain technological skeptics and to be aware that “technology isn’t a neutral force, but something that changes how we live and what we value.”
He also encourages educators to revive traditional methodologies and subjects. The most effective teachers, Pauling suggests, will be those who help students “cultivate fully human ways of knowing and being that generations before us understood instinctively.”
Read Pauling’s five tips here on the Modern Age website.
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Thought of the Day:
“Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.”
– Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
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Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
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