Brian A. Smith is the editor of Law & Liberty. He is the author of Walker Percy and the Politics of the Wayfarer. Before joining Liberty Fund, he taught politics and great books at Montclair State University. You can find him here.
1. What do you think interested you in political science, and why should students study it today?
“I was a history major at UCLA and took about ten additional classes in political science. There, I became very interested in how political ideas shape the world. This led me to apply to doctoral programs in intellectual history and politics, and I ended up at Georgetown. They let me combine studies in political theory and international affairs, and I spent a decade teaching these subjects with a focus on using great books, films, and literature as touchstones before joining Liberty Fund as an editor at Law & Liberty.”
“I’m not sure I’d call myself a political scientist—throughout my time in academia, I was definitely outside the mainstream of the discipline. But I think that anyone who wants to come to grips with the underlying forces that shape political life at every level would do well to study it. The trick is finding faculty members that engage broadly and deeply with their subject matter and don’t try to force the study of politics into overly narrow terms.”
2. What do you believe is the future of American political science?
“The outlook at the moment for the discipline is fairly grim. It’s a shrinking major, and I suspect some of this has to do with the tendency in social science generally to treat political life as something we can understand through purely quantitative means or in terms of social forces that assume human beings have little or no agency over their lives. My colleague Lee Trepanier published a piece last year at Law & Liberty that suggests these methods are simply too boring and unreal. I don’t think he’s wrong.”
“What falls out of this approach matters a lot, and I think is the subject matter that often makes people want to learn more: the political histories of regions and regimes; the philosophical and ideological movements that shape political life; and the mindset of leaders and statesmen that seem to move our world. If political science departments don’t remember this, their students will continue to melt away.”
3. Do you believe that American universities will revitalize their undergraduate reputation?
“I don’t think most of the elite, well-funded universities will change course. They are too wedded to many ideological projects. What we’re likely to see is an accelerating collapse of mediocre and poorly-funded colleges and universities and the birth of many other alternatives that offer something better. I hope the University of Austin, Ralston College, and others like them will grow as plausible alternatives for students that want to be challenged. I also think established religious institutions that hold to their faith will thrive. But the key thing that most universities lack is a clear mission. It’s hard to say what Harvard stands for other than ideology and growing its endowment. But a college that can tell a compelling story about what learning is for—that can offer a real alternative to those wise enough to look for one. “
4. As the Director of Law & Liberty, what do you think are some of the biggest challenges that digital publications must overcome?
“I think any publication has to have a clear purpose in order to stand out. The relative ease of digital publishing—and the proliferation of voices through platforms like Substack—means that offering something distinctive is essential. There are obvious temptations that I think generate attention and income, like farming outrage, but they won’t sustain a publication for long. You need a core of writers that have good reasons to publish with you, and that can help build or maintain a brand.”
5. Do you believe that publications will survive into the future in the face of podcasts, TikTok, etc?
“Yes, but I think we need to be realistic about who the audience is. People who don’t ever read but do scroll or listen aren’t likely converts to digital or print magazines. There is a core of people who want to be informed and part of a conversation about what matters. I suspect that reading is going to be increasingly sustained by people with non-traditional educations. Homeschoolers, students of classical schools, and the like are the only people for whom reading is still the core of education from a young age. There is hope there. “
6. For someone who wants to get into the publishing industry, what would your advice be to them?
“There aren’t many full-time jobs in publishing at any level, so in the immediate term: Find a job that pays the bills and spend whatever time you can spare to find your voice as a writer. Send your work to publications you admire and listen to editors when they tell you what needs to be improved.”
7. What has been one of the most unique experiences of your career?
“It isn’t one unique experience, but as part of my work with Liberty Fund, I help create colloquia that at their best are everything I wish my education had been. These events bring together small groups of people to a beautiful place to discuss various readings in an open-ended way over a few days. These conversations are often surprising, and sometimes transformative.”
