To define genius may be madness, but our guests – a nascent professor of English and, of all things, an economist – take on the challenge. The guiding theme is that the burning brilliance of the young genius and the steadiness of the Old Master are virtually non-overlapping. The argument in this 2006 conversation is illustrated by quotations from great poets and novelists, and audio from some films by genius-level movie directors.

Anyone who teaches in an American college or university and is over 50 knows – but may not admit or confess – that the average freshman is below, often far below, what was average even as recently as 20 years ago. The deficiencies are in math skills, history, knowledge of science and, of course, in the ability to write or comprehend real English. Nor are theses deficiencies necessarily corrected by the time the freshman has become a senior.

The “Common Core” movement is the latest panacea and is financially backed by the federal government. It is in operation in some states and debated with increasing anger in all of them.  Here, drawing from the recent book in which they debated whether the common core should be implemented or discarded, are two leading conservative observers of the educational scene. On the “pro” side is Sol Stern of the Manhattan Institute. On the “con” side is Peter Wood, President of the National Scholars Association. The disagreement is intense and the stakes are very high for a country that spends more than any other on education and yet is exceeded in educational attainment – and, perhaps even in the essential skills of literacy – by half of the rest of the world.

The question is very often asked and, of course, there is no answer. But a list of the top ten would have to include Peggy Noonan. Here she is in high form, articulate, candid and rich with political aversions and enthusiasms. The basis for this conversation in 2001 was her then new book, “When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan.”

Psychologists have argued for a century or more over these questions: What is intelligence? How is it distributed within varied populations? Is it genetically determined? Can it be affected by education, by personality, mood and, for that matter, diet?  Social psychologist Richard Nisbet joined us to give his research-based answers to those and other questions in this 2009 conversation.

John Cornwell, a British historian focused on Germany before and during the war, joined us in 2003 to discuss his challenging book , “Hitler’s Scientists: Science, War and the Devil’s Pact.” After all Jewish scientists were fired and left Germany, only two out of thousands of remaining scientists protested. Some others left but, in the main, the many thousands pursued their work seeking not only truth but public reward and either imbibing or privately resisting the Nazi ideology. The worst part of the story, as we discuss it with Cornwell, concerns those scientists – some of international reputation – who used their “sciences” to confirm, rationalize and advance Nazism. Names are named and dreadful stories told.