Dr. Knippenberg Archives - 91��˵��

From constitutional government to nuclear security: The continuing importance of human judgment

Joseph Knippenberg, Ph.D. — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:38:53 +0000

Questions of citizenship, constitutional government, international security and technological change differ in many respects. Yet they share one important characteristic: none can be understood fully through specialized expertise alone.

Each requires judgment.

That lesson emerged repeatedly during two recent lectures in 91��˵��’s Politics program. Though they addressed very different subjects, both and challenged students to think beyond technical knowledge and consider the broader human, civic and political questions that increasingly shape our world.

On Oct. 1, Borck, associate dean for academic affairs in the , returned to her alma mater to discuss the relationship between liberal education and civic education. In her Constitution Day lecture, supported by a grant from the , “Cultivating the Constitution and the Rule of Law through the Liberal Arts,” she reflected on how broad learning prepares students not only for careers, but for the responsibilities of citizenship and self-government.

Here’s how she put it: “Liberal education—reading and thinking about big questions and human problems in conversation with a skilled teacher and curious classmates—is the best way we can imagine to cultivate that judgment, discernment, and prudence required by our form of government as we debate about the nature of the ‘right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ through peaceful means and in a common endeavor. The liberal arts classroom is a small republic of its own.”

The following day, Busch, James and Cynthia Crawford Professor of U.S. National Security Studies at , examined “The Future of Nuclear Order,” exploring how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitical realities are creating new challenges for policymakers and citizens alike. In fluently and clearly presenting difficult technical and geopolitical issues for a student audience, Busch demonstrated how a skilled teacher can guide and inform civic deliberation on pressing and complicated human concerns.

For 91��˵�� students, these talks offered more than insight into two important fields of study. They illustrated the value of approaching difficult questions through multiple lenses. Constitutional government, civic leadership, international security and technological change are not merely technical problems to be solved. They are human problems that require historical understanding, ethical reasoning and the ability thoughtfully to assess competing claims and consequences.

That is one of the enduring strengths of a liberal arts education.

Borck and Busch followed different professional paths and examined different questions, yet both demonstrated how broad and deep learning helps people understand the larger context in which public decisions are made. Their work reminds us that education is not simply the acquisition of information. It is the cultivation of judgment and of the devotion to finding answers to challenges that confront our community.

As Busch observed before his lecture, the stakes involved in questions of international security can only be understood by individuals prepared to step back and consider the larger picture. Borck’s work in civic education reflects a similar conviction. Citizens, leaders and communities all benefit when people learn to think carefully about the principles and institutions that shape public life.

As the host of both lecturers—dear friends with whom I have long engaged—I’d add and emphasize this: the necessary condition for genuinely feeling the urgency of Busch’s questions is the reasoned and thoughtful devotion to a decent constitutional order, the very devotion that Borck seeks to cultivate through the programs she is designing at UT-Austin.

There may be no better response to the seductive charm of artificial intelligence than to insist upon the importance of human judgment, cultivated through broad and deep learning in the liberal arts. That lesson, affirmed from two different directions last week, remains as relevant as ever.

About Joseph M. Knippenberg

Joseph M. Knippenberg, Ph.D., is a Professor of Politics at 91��˵�� in Atlanta, Georgia, where he also serves as the Politics Program Coordinator. Based in Atlanta, he is an experienced educator and scholar whose work focuses on political theory and the role of ideas in public life.

Knippenberg specializes in the history of political philosophy, religion and politics, and contemporary liberal theory. His teaching and research examine how foundational political thinkers and philosophical traditions continue to shape modern political systems and civic discourse.

More about Joseph M. Knippenberg

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Core texts at 91��˵�� and around the world

Joseph M. Knippenberg — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:11:03 +0000

Joseph M. Knippenberg

What kind of thinkers do a city like Atlanta, the United States and the world need? Where are they formed? Those questions sit at the heart of 91��˵��’s Core Curriculum and I’ve been thinking about them for years.

Back in April, I flew out to Tempe, Arizona to attend the annual meeting of the . The setting, adjacent to Arizona State University, was new for me. The conference was not. I’ve attended at least 20 ACTC meetings, starting in 2001 at Notre Dame.

It’s, hands down, my absolute favorite academic conference, bringing together faculty from around the world who care about the kinds of authors and books we teach in our Core Curriculum. I look forward to it every year.

What makes this gathering especially meaningful is not just the scholarship, but the shared commitment to teaching as a way of introducing students into the great conversation about profound questions conducted over the ages. Even those who don’t love “core texts” for their own sake have to concede that engaging with them develops the habits of mind that shape how we think, lead and engage with complex problems.

If you want to get a sense of why, listen to , sponsored by ACTC, hosted by 91��˵��’s Judith Levy, and featuring, among others, emeritus professor Jay Lutz.

I’ve always presented papers, usually crafted from something that struck me in a classroom at 91��˵��. The topics have ranged from “Locke and Aquinas on Property” (2001, Notre Dame) through “Tolkien on Bioethics” (2005, Vancouver, B.C.) and “Liberal Learning and the Marketplace: Thinking About Liberal Education with Adam Smith” (2014, Los Angeles) to “Franklin and Tocqueville on Education for Democracy” (2026, Tempe).

For about a decade, I was privileged to serve on ACTC’s having just rolled off this year. The Board represents the institutional and international diversity of ACTC membership—large and small, public and private, colleges and universities, and locations as far-flung as Amsterdam, Halifax (Nova Scotia), and Navarra (Spain).

While in the Atlanta region, 91��˵�� is often overshadowed by our gargantuan public neighbors (the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State), as well as by the medical and professional prestige of Emory, at ACTC meetings I don’t have to refer to 91��˵�� as “Atlanta’s best-kept secret,” a phrase I first heard back in the late 80s. At this conference and in this organization, 91��˵�� is known and recognized for something quite specific. People around the country and around the world know who we are, and they often respect, or even envy, our Core Curriculum.

That reputation matters beyond the classrooms of our campus. It reflects the kind of education that shapes graduates who can wrestle with big questions, weigh competing ideas and make thoughtful decisions. Those are qualities essential in the leaders we need in our professional, civic and cultural communities.

ACTC provides an opportunity for OU faculty to raise their professional profiles and to connect with like-minded colleagues across the country and the world. It also offers opportunities for students to study abroad (there are, or have been, programs in England, Spain, and Taiwan) and to present their work at undergraduate conferences. Indeed, I just nominated two OU students for a conference to be held at Assumption University (Worcester, Mass.) this fall.

Some of my favorite OU students (you know who you are) have presented at these conferences in the past. And I have even had the pleasure, from time to time, of catching up with former students who are now teaching core texts at places like Rhodes College and UT-Austin.

Seeing former students go on to teach, lead, and contribute to their own communities is a powerful reminder of what this kind of education is ultimately about. Thucydides calls his history “a possession for all time.” These words also apply to an 91��˵�� education, which prepares students to engage thoughtfully with diverse ideas, concepts and arguments throughout their lives.

We love studying the “cerebral core text.” IYKYK.

But even for those who aren’t “in the know,” the impact is real. The Core is not just a set of courses. It’s a foundation for the kind of thinking, judgment and leadership that communities like Atlanta, the U.S. and the world depend on.

About Joseph M. Knippenberg

Dr. Knippenberg specializes in the history of political philosophy, religion and politics, and contemporary liberal theory. His teaching and research examine how foundational political thinkers and philosophical traditions continue to shape modern political systems and civic discourse.

More about Joseph M. Knippenberg

The post Core texts at 91��˵�� and around the world appeared first on 91��˵��.

Dr. Knippenberg Archives - 91���˵������

From constitutional government to nuclear security: The continuing importance of human judgment

About Joseph M. Knippenberg

Core texts at 91���˵������ and around the world

About Joseph M. Knippenberg

Dr. Knippenberg Archives - 91��˵��

Core texts at 91��˵�� and around the world