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UATX Dean of Arts Patrick Gray on the moral cynicism of our times, the fall of Europe, and why you should defend the civilization that gives you your comfortable life.
This lecture was delivered during UATX Orientation on August 24, 2026.
00:00 - What makes UATX students distinctive?
01:59 - Austin is the new frontier
03:47 - What is education for?
06:39 - Why is America uniquely prosperous?
08:52 - "Becoming like a child again"
13:15 - Think for yourself
14:40 - The examined life
15:30 - Emotional and intellectual discipline
16:47 - Mandatory freshman reading
17:34 - Leo Strauss
18:57 - Faith and reason
22:27 - What is liberal education?
27:48 - Technocracy vs. populism
31:37 - "Weigh the claims of philosophers against the evidence of history"
32:44 - Cicero's treatise, On Duties
35:33 - Epicureanism and the fall of Europe
39:52 - The unscrupulous politician
41:12 - Conscience, Machiavelli, and Nietzsche
43:59 - We need men and women in the arena
Public Events This Fall
All events are on campus in downtown Austin and free to attend.
September 15 · 5:00–7:00 PM: RSVP
UATX Annual Constitution Day Address
The Honorable James C. Ho, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, with special guest Sheldon Gilbert, President and CEO of The Federalist Society.September 22 · 5:30–7:00 PM: RSVP
How Think Tanks Think
Robert Doar, President, American Enterprise Institute.September 24 · 5:30–7:30 PM: RSVP
Impact in the Federal Government
Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and Joe Lonsdale, Co-Founder of UATX. Co-sponsored by The David Network.September 29 · 5:30–7:00 PM: RSVP
Are Recessions Inevitable?
Tyler Goodspeed, Chief Economist, ExxonMobil.October 13 · 5:30–7:00 PM: RSVP
The Myths of American Capitalism
Phil Gramm, former U.S. Senator and economist.November 3 · 5:30–7:00 PM: RSVP
Allies at War
Tim Bouverie, author and historian.November 10 · 5:30–7:00 PM: RSVP coming soon
Nazi-Communism: Why Marxist-Leninists and Nazi Fascists are Ideological Twins
Alex Kaiser, author and historian.
We charge you nothing, except everything you’ve got.
Rigorous education. $0 tuition. Merit-based admission.
