UATX

Time for another disruptive innovation in the market of Higher Education! This time it will happen right here in Texas- in the weird part to be exact, Austin.

A group of academics and public intellectuals have joined forces to attempt to found a “University of Austin Texas.” Now you might ask- isn’t there already a University in Austin, Texas- the Longhorn place? Yes, but not one that offers genuine academic freedom, argue the UATX people (a notable exception are the folks at the Austin institute, some of which teach on the “40 acres”). There’s also a Catholic school in Austin- St. Edward’s- but apparently they don’t teach much of the way of liberal arts anymore. The UATX people want a University in that town offering an unapologetic embrace of the western canon of liberal arts. And to show this isn’t just an online pipe dream, they add that all classes will be taught in person! Alot of good liberal arts schools aren’t doing that these days.

So, it’s very promising news. But the mission of UATX, while some of it is clear, is still slightly vague. They know what they’re against, but they still need to flesh out what they’re for I think. UATX has a a sort of "fusionism" thing going on in an attempt to unite libertarians, liberals, and conservatives who support viewpoint diversity and the study of liberal arts.

Given that, we should expect JS Mill's "On Liberty" to be the most sacred text of UATX. That text, while carrying on a fascinating dialogue, does not stand up to the harder questions I believe- and the fragile consensus of “classical liberalism” one can glean from it quickly breaks down. For that same reason, I think the fusionism of UATX will break apart rather quickly too (for more on fusionism’s tendency to break down, read Charles Kesler’s old AEI speech, “What’s wrong with conservativism?”).

What is the true ground of UATX? St. John Henry Newman would probably criticize it for lacking a theological rootedness; it cannot be a true university.

But I'm glad these guys are trying, of course. Go UATX!