James Hankins and How to Be on the Right Side of History

My neighbor JP Chavez sent me a really encouraging article hot off the presses yesterday. James Hankins, history professor at Harvard University, writes for First Things magazine 'How to Be on the Right Side of History.'  In his excellent piece, Hankins pushes back against the idea that we know what if anything will be seen in coming decades as "the right side of history," pointing out that the whole idea of a right or wrong side of history comes from the Hegelian dialectic. It should not be assumed that future generations of historians will all be as ideologically uniform as intellectuals in our day routinely are conditioned and required to be. But what if the future actually does not belong to the woke? What if the future actually belongs to the children who are now receiving a classical education in good character, rhetoric, logic, and knowing stuff? If we knew for a fact that such children and not the woke K-12 public schooled majority were going to be the "true elites" of coming decades, surely that would put some pep in our step if we are part of the brave few. And for those of us who are not part of the brave few, perhaps thinking along these lines will encourage a change in tact. One can certainly hope, in any event.