alexis de tocqueville who a man i think in his thought combined magnanimity and moderation and political sobriety in a most impressive way, tocqueville said of napoleon that he was as great as could be without being good. so we had a new category there, a kind of the form of greatness by the not good. okay and the without being good was napoleon's achilles heel. his fatal flaw or closer toward the french statesman showed the goal, said that or charles de gaulle, you know, you feel like an npr guy when. you start pronouncing foreign citizens nicaragua. you know closer to our de charles de gaulle said that napoleon served a severed greatness in moderation, a lesson that should be in strong active for future generations. and again, building on two goals analysis and a couple of his important writings about statesmen, the great man's works of energy fizzle out or give rise to tragedy when they are severed from what the goal called the rules of class order. and here are those a book by de gaulle called the discord shall enemy the discord in the and among the enemy. it was translated in englis

generation to some of the greatest thinkers and statesmen history from cicero to edmund burke, alexis de tocqueville, washington. abraham lincoln. winston churchill. charles de gaulle, and many more. and it exemplifies how one can combine both thought and action through the virtue of prudence, especially amidst very difficult circumstances. dan has been involved with isi for decades. he's taught in the honors program for over 15 years, and he's published three books with isi. in addition to writing regularly for modern age and lecturing on college campuses across the country. he's the emeritus at assumption, a senior fellow at the claremont institute and a senior writer at law and liberty. he received his from the college of the holy cross and his m.a. and ph.d. from catholic university of america in political science. the winner of last year's prize victor davis hanson, describes his book as, quote, brilliantly written and researched tribute to the pantheon of classically trained and thinking of action. dan joins, a long list of accomplished honorees, including davis hanson yuval levin, wilfred mcc

all these languages and creeds and races and everything ever form into one union here and alexis de tocqueville was a famous member of that tribe but there were so many that came, and every dozens of those books. my attitude was i wanted to go out as if i wasn't already hugely familiar with the landscape and the people in between, which is really in a lot of ways wasn't, and make up my mind about various things by going through it. >> there so many different levels to theh book which, thee we go, i really enjoyed for so many interesting places you walk through, walked to. and learned a a lot about that o many interesting people that you count all the way and then kind of the big picture, so many life lessons that you came back with. so let's start with something interesting places that you talk about lancaster junction appear to be that railroad -- hanover, i'm sorry. >> this is one of the things i had decided i had read how is a junction, there's a train station, this is one of the first rail lines in the united states i think was completed from philadelphia, sorry, baltimore to new york in 18

more perceptively or creatively the 19th century french diplomat and alexis de tocqueville.after extensive tour of the jackson era in the mid- 1830s, tocqueville showed what he discoveredme about the peculiary american manner of reconciled liberalism with an ardent. his conclusion in a word is that the latter effectively makes possible the former. better, provides with an animating purpose. a handful of citations will sum up his argument here is the first one quotes the americans combined the notion of religion and liberty so intimately in their mind it's impossible to make them conceive of one without the other." and next quote you must never be forgotten religion gave birth to two anglo american society. in the united states religion is therefore co- mingled with all the habits of the nation and third, so religion which among the americans never directly takes part in the government of society must be t considered as the first of their political institutions. it does not get than the taste for it liberty it singularly facilitates the use of it" that's very interesting to m

which ironically was one of things that drew alexis de tocqueville to come tonight stacy was in the u.sto write about our prison system. it was only when he was here looking at our prisons he became taken by the democracy aspects. but, at that time solitary confinement was seen as a very humane thing because the alternative to was being turned intoal where you're surrounded y other criminals who are going to be beating on you. it would be like if all of us were in prison they lock the doors we all be together and some would prefer to be in a solitary situation. that's an interesting example of how our view of these things can change so much. and something that was seen at one time to be humane becomes anything but over time. i certainly would see it that way now. >> yes, sir? >> hey bill, what a wonderful story. i'm waiting to hear bills a minute come for that early. and 80 when i finish undergoing the best job of my life. i traveled around the country, 44 states. selling cookware to single women. it was a hope chest item. but one thing i learned there were these regional quirks. i was

and alexis de tocqueville was a famous member that that tribe.but there were so many that came and i read dozens of those books. and my attitude was similar to theirs. i wanted to go out as if i wasn't already hugely familiar with the landscape and the people in between which i really in a lot of ways wasn't. and make up my mind about various things by going through it there's so many different levels to the book which after we go i really enjoy. i mean so many interesting places you walk through walk to and learned a lot about so many interesting people that you all the way and yeah and then kind of the big picture so many life lessons that you came back with so let's start with something interesting places you talk about lancaster junction to me that railroad oh the head over dancing hanover j.a. sorry. yeah yeah yeah yeah that's just a little bit. i mean, this is one of the things where i decided i had read how there's a junction, there's a there's a train station, and this was one of the first rail lines built in the united i think it was com

alexis de tocqueville was a famous member of that tribe but there were so many that came, and i readozens of those books. my attitude was similar to theirs. i want to go out as if i wasn't already hugely familiar with the landscape and the people in between which are really in a lot of ways wasn't. and make up my mind about various things like going through it. >> there so many different levels of the book which -- there we go -- i really enjoyed her some interesting places you walked through, walked to, and learned a lot about so many interesting people you encounter all the way. and then kind of the big picture so many life lessons that you came back with. let's start with some interesting places that you talk about lancaster junction. to me that railroad -- >> hanover. >> sorry. >> this is one of t the things had decided i had read how there's a junction, there's a train station and this is one of the first rail lines built in the united states, i think was completed from philadelphia, sorry, baltimore to york in 1834. in 1863 abraham lincoln •-ellipsis mine and at the hanover jun

and alexis de tocqueville was a member of that. i read dozens of those books. my attitude was i went to go out as if i wasn't already usually familiar with the landscape and the people between which making up my mind about various things. >> there so many different levels toic the book. so many interesting spaces you walk through and walked to and learned a lot about in so many interesting people you encountered along the way and theth big picture of the so many life lessons that you came back with sos let's start you talk about lancaster junction to me that's thoreau wrote. hanover, i'm sorry. say this was one off the things that i had read how there was a juncture at the train station and this was one of the first railun lines that was completed from philadelphia to baltimore to new york in 1834 and in 1863 abraham lincoln took that line at hanover junction there's a line that goes to gettysburg. you can pause there for half an hour so like you were waiting for the governor of pennsylvania to show up and a year and a half later lincoln was on the train that w

understanding of why american democracy was so successful was the one that was actually outlined by alexis de tocquevilleted the united states in the 1830s and he said americans are very good at this art of association. you don't need a centralized estate to get them to organize, they can do that in your communities and they form, they learn citizenship by participating in voluntary organizations. certainly at the time he wrote, the vast majority of those organizations religious in nature they were bible studies or temperance movements, you know, of various sorts. the traditional sociological argument for why associational life, as dense as it is in the united states, is that it had to do with this sectarian nature of american protestantism where he didn't have a centralized hierarchical church. directly competing churches and that was one of the reasons why the generosity was stronger in the united states, but in other developed democracies because people were not forced to join a church. to sign up tove the state church. if they wanted the comfort that religion would give them, then they could associat

one of the things that makes alexis de tocqueville's of brilliant is the fact he is living after a revolutionary age. francis had a revolution meant you had a restoration of monarchy. there are some forces and restored france the month the monarchy to be much stronger. they want to be as powerful as it had been under louis the 14th for example. want to have a second french revolution and to have military folks who perhaps want napoleon bonaparte or his error, napoleon the third to come to power but when things and asked tocqueville brilliant is a mixture of old and new. revolutionary post and preet revolutionary. my question for you is america has had a cultural revolution. america has experienced these liberal transformations you hav discussed. is it the case that what you envision as a return to an earlier condition? or a post revolutionary condition one that has to combine the aspects of a liberal order to be described with the mixed regime you want to bring about? >> the subtitle of the book is a post- liberal future. and that phrase or word with care and forethought. which is that it's simp

one of the things that makes alexis de tocqueville so brilliant is the fact that has n in lifetime you've had a restoration of monarchy. there are some in restored france that want the monarchy to be much stronger. we want it to be as powerful as it had been under louis the 14th, for example and there are others in the restored under which tocqueville's living who want to have a second french revolution. and of course you, you know, military folks who perhaps want a napoleon bonaparte to or his is heir rather napoleon the third to come to power. but one of the things that makes tocqueville brilliant is, this mixture of old new revolutionary post revolutionary and pre revolutionary. my question for you is america has had a cultural revolution it seems america has experienced these liberal transformations you've discussed. is it the case that what you envision is a return to an earlier pre-revolutionary condition. or will a post revolutionary condition be that has to combine some of the aspects of the liberal order that you've described with mixed regime that you want to bring about. so the

on the theme of progress but this idea of a mixed regime.ll one of thebr things that makes alexis de tocqueville so brilliant is the fact that he is living after a revolutionary age. francis had a revolution -- france. you had a restoration of monarchy. there are some forces in restored france that want the monarchy to be much stronger, wanted to be as powerful as had been under louis xiv for example, and/or others in the restored monarchy which de tocqueville is living in want of a second french revolution. you have military folks who perhaps want a napoleon bonaparte or his air rather napoleon the third to come to power pick one of the things that makes de tocqueville breed is the mixture of old and new, revolutionary, post revolutionary and prerevolutionary. my question for you is america has had a cultural revolution it seems. america has experienced these little transformations. is it the case that what you envision is a return to an earlier prerevolutionary condition, or what they post revolutionary condition, one that has to come by some of thei aspects of the liberal order you've describ

alexis de tocquevillei a man wo combined magnanimity and m moderationob and political sobriety in a most depressive way tocquevilleaid of napoleon that he was as great as one could be without being good but a new category there, kind of greatness by the not so good. without being good was napoleon's achilles c hill his fatal flaw. closer toured a this french statesman said charles degaulle, you feel like npr when you start pronouncing foreign cities and names. closer toured a charles degaulle said napoleon served a greatness and moderation. it should be instructive for future generations. again building onto golf analysis in a couple of this important writings about statesmanship.s the great man's works of energy fizzle out or give rise to tragedy when they are severed and what degaulle called the rules of classical order. there's a book by degaulle called the discord among the enemy translated into english in a little play by lincoln but it's a work of a more civilized world. degaulle as a prisoner ofed war captured and he was an officer soviet access to the prison library and started to write a book about why ge