that would be this insight from thenforeword: “If there is a single threadnthat runs through these essays, it is thenrecognition of a universal order thatntranscends the flux of human life andngives meaning to it.”nThis book aside, it is difficult tonrecall any current criticism which olfersna clear-cut alternative, either to idealismnor materialism or logical positivism.nThe options appear to be betweennotherworldliness and attempts to rationalizenreality. Failure to invite Aristotleninto this discussion does seem anlittle willful, perhaps even unprofessional.nAfter all, versions of his organonnand other works were basic to educationnfor centuries and still linger in thenforms of language. Just because Platonwas more palatable to the Arab scholarsnwho were mentors of the early Christians,nhe was no less a pagan thannAristotle.nExactly how radical his empiricismnwas, Aristotle spelled out in Categories.nDeparting from the idea of universalnorder (being, or substance), he declarednthat primary substance is thenindividual person, place, or thing; for,nas he said, without the individuals,nspecies and genus would not exist.nOnce one has descried this distinction,nit is discoverable throughout his works,ndespite ensuing apocryphal entriesnsuch as speculation about a “PrimenMover,” or First Cause.nAdhering to this ontological viewpoint,nAristotle’s appeal was to thenresponsible free will of the individualnrather than a call for obedience tonineffable ideals. His hierarchy of ethicalnresponsibility began with the individual,nthence to the family, only then tonlarger social and political entities.nThe Stagirite was able to conceive ofnhappiness in this world, in contrast withnso much of the Oriental and othernmonistic thought. For him, happinessncould come to the individual whonfollows the mean between extremes.nFor example, the virtue of generositynwould lie between prodigality and miserliness.nIf this poses difficulties fornquantification, it does avoid the absurditynof limitless goodness, or the damnationnof absolute sinfulness. If we aim toneducate for virtue, surely we shouldntake care not to propose impossiblengoals — with perdition the sole alternativento attaining them.nWhich is not to accuse any of thesenfive essayists — Claes G. Ryn, RussellnKirk, Paul Gottfried, Peter J. Stanlis, ornSolveig Eggerz — of any such educationalncrime. Their essays are full ofnwisdom, both their own and attributed.nMost heartening is the titie, in turningnaway from such near-oxymorons asnCharacter Education and Ethical Values.nTheir dedication to the classicalntradition at large and their eloquence innits support are unquestionable andnmost impressive. Nor, as noted before.nTitlenis their neglect of Aristotle’s originalitynin any way unusual. It is a pity that thenauthor of so much of the Westernntradition of liberty, as well as generalnscience, is shelved in favor of Plato ornKarl Marx. Recourse to his works inncollation with these authors’ dilemmasncould clarify their epistemological andnother observations.nCharles La Dow is a retired professornof history living in San Diego.nGreat Topics, Great Issues!nCatch up on the CHRONICLESnyou’ve missed by orderingnfrom the following collectionnof recent back issues.nn Victims of Government August ’88—DanMcMurrymoves in with the homeless: “HardnLiving on Easy Street”; Allan Carlson examines the mushy mentality of the welfare state innhis “Charity Begins at Home”; Harold Brown on anti-white racism; and Michael Wardernprobes the depravity of privileged Westerners who worli for the Soviets in “Why Spy?” $2.50nO Masculine Feminine Neuter July ’88—Retired Vice Admiral James Stoclsdale writes ofnpersonal experiences in Hanoi; feminists’ hate of successful women is rivaled only by theirnlove of power, writes Janet Barlow in “Still Crazy After All These Years”; Allan Carlson onnAIDS and civil defense; plus: gay science, feminist bishops, women novehsts. $2.50nD Etlinic Conflict iVIay ’88—Harold OJ. Brown tells why Swiss ethnic pluraUsm worlis; Eriknvon Kuehnelt-Leddihn stresses the historical reasons for South Africa’s state of affairs; andnSamuel Francis looks at Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. $2.50nn Homage to T. S. Eliot April ’88—Octavio Paz, Josef Pieper, James Tuttleton,nThomas Molnar, Fred Chappell, and Thomas Fleming pay their respects to the greatnmodern poet. $2.50nD Wile’s in Charge? March ’88—Editor Thomas Fleming discusses the private diplomats’nand public scoundrels’ fight over the corpse of the American empire; Samuel Francis asks,n”If Presidents have a free hand in foreign policy, who needs a Constitution?”; and JacknDouglas wonders if it may be time to elect federal judges. $2.50n• Baclc to Nature Feb. ’88—The Greening of America, Part II, by Allan C. Carlson; Mutinynin Paradise or Sexual Freedom/Political Slavery by John Chodes; and Jigs Gardner examinesnrepentant radicals—‘conservative” and doing well. $2.50nn Institutionalized Writing: Are Universities tiie Last Stop for New Leftists and Burnt-nOut Writers? Jan. ’88—Bulgakov~a White Survivor of the Red Terror; plus handguns innFlorida, the homeless in North Dakota, and Lloyd’s of London’s new Tinkertoynhome. $2.50nn Restoring the Constitution—Seizing Power From Judges, Congressmen, and OtiiernUsurpers Dec. ’87—Clyde Wilson asks, “What have they done to our laws?”; Barry Shainnon Conservative Commons and Kyle E. McSlarrow on judicial editing and congressionalninaction, plus much more. $2.50n* Postage and handling included in issue price.nName_nCityn. Address.nTotal amount duen_ State_ _Zip_nQty. Amt.nChronicles • 934 North Main Street • Roclcford, IL • 61103 CBI588nnnSEPTEMBER 1988/37n