Dr. Adam Kotsko is an absolute delight, and I’ll explain why below—subscriptions to his two Substacks are a must. I have the pleasure of being a Facebook friend of Kotsko, so I enjoy his aphoristic witticisms, insights, and much more each day.
First off, he’s got great credentials. Incredible ones, in fact. Dr. Kotsko is on the faculty at Shimer Great Books School at North Central College, where he engages students in the humanities and social sciences. His research, as his website notes here, focuses on “political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought.” He’s the recent author of What Is Theology? Christian Thought and Contemporary Life (Fordham Press, 2021) and also a book about Star Trek.
We’re also graced by his presence on Substack with two Substacks: one dedicated to Star Trek and another with various essays called “That Blog You Like Is Going to Come Back in Style.”
I immediately became a fan of Dr. Kotsko’s Substacks after seeing his profile image: an adorable picture of Adorno wearing glasses and in a wool swimsuit at the beach!
Dr. Kotsko has an unusual and insightful way of writing about topics. For instance, he recently wrote an essay titled “It shouldn’t be this hard.” In it, he states that those with privilege don’t seem happy. This is particularly evident in the academic humanities. (Indeed, I agree with this sentiment.) But it doesn’t stop there. He sees it “everywhere.” (Again, I agree with him.)
He adds:
People with the kind of job that in a past generation might have meant they had ‘arrived’ are still fighting and clawing. Everyone seems to be hustling like a 22-year-old, but they’re seasoned professionals with advanced degrees and decades of experience. Especially for people in their fifties or older, work life seems like an exercise in clinging on for dear life to secure some kind of livable retirement—finding a new job in the same field, much less starting over in something else, feels impossible. The concept of a ‘career’ has been replaced by a series of elaborate heists. It’s not just anxiety-producing, it’s humiliating to think of having to scrape and beg for the chance at a living all over again.
When he speaks of heists, that is all there are these days in the Trumpian grift economy that has beset us all. There is no longer any “arriving” in such a political economy predicated on grifting, theft, and hoarding, but rather, as Dr. Kotsko points out, desperate fighting and clawing for fewer scraps for the majority of us. Academia, alas, is no haven either, especially, as Dr. Kotsko mournfully tells us, it has been long buried and declared irrelevant, or so our elite have told us (I beg to differ, but my thinking is “ossified” and quaint, and I still read. Oh! The humanity!)
Dr. Kotsko’s more recent piece, “Learning to Learn,” discusses how he will delve into the history of physics, with attention to optics, this semester. Interestingly, he tells us that while he has a PhD in theology, he frequently takes labs in the science department.
Ultimately, the piece is about the value of a liberal arts education and general arts education. He adds, “We want [our students] to have the experience of finding an initial orientation in a lot of fields, not just because that will help them make a more informed choice of their major, but because they will need to do that in life.”
The piece thoughtfully considers the critical importance of pedagogy in liberal arts education and, well, learning to learn.
As I said above, Dr. Kotsko never fails to surprise me with his essay topics, his unusual takes, and his deep knowledge. He’s worth a subscribe, so make sure to smash that button when you’re through reading this post!
Further Reading
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May 31
It’s with great pleasure that I share this month's outstanding Substacker with you: Dr. Daniel Tutt. I’ve had the honor of meeting Tutt several times in D.C. and at my home for a fantastic BBQ (yes, I’m bragging about what I made), and he’s a delightful, intellectually engaging person who’s also extremely k…
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