Several Essays and Statements

Milton Konvitz (Ph.D. \u2733) embodied the spirit of Cornell University. An authority on civil rights and human rights, and constitutional and labor law, he served on the Cornell faculty for 27 years, holding dual appointments at the Law School and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. This section features essays and statements by Milton R. Konvitz: Closing Remarks at the End of the American Ideals Course; Change and Tradition--A Letter to David Daiches; Liberal and Illiberal Education; Why One Professor Changed His Voice; and Of Exile and Double Consciousness: A Reply to Max Beloff

From Opportunity to Status

[Excerpt] When Ronald Knox, at the age of four, was asked what he did for his insomnia, he replied, I lie awake and think about the past. I suspect that even the future celebrated biblical scholar did not, at the age of four, have much of a past to think about-- unless, with Plato and Wordsworth, we believe that a child is not born in entire forgetfulness, but comes trailing clouds of glory. In my own case when I lie awake and think about the past, I do have a relatively long past to think about--it is thirty-eight years since I began my teaching career, and almost thirty years since I came to Cornell

The Development of American Ideals: Three Bills of Rights

Developments that sparked the most consequential constitutional controversies in American history have enriched the nation with a second and third Bill of Right

The Pragmatic Realism of Julius Stone

If realism and impossible ideals are both relevant for judgment, if one sees all the ironies and ambiguities in the wills and actions of men and nations and yet refuses to accept the actual or historical as normative, how does one find an adequate rubric to do justice to such a dialectical position? This essay seeks to answer this question in relation to the disposition to Julius Stone

Conscience and Civil Disobedience in Jewish, Christian, and Greek and Roman Thought

In this Article, the author traces the origin and development of the concepts of conscience and civil disobedience. The author initially investigates biblical passages and then discusses Greek and Roman writings. The final portion of the Article focuses upon the development of these concepts in modern Christianity

2. Establishment of the School

The formal establishment of the New York State School of Industrial and Labor relations grew out of the thoughtful and vigorous action of a unique group of practical politicians who firmly believed, as they stated in their first report, that “Though we may legislate to the end of time, there will never be industrial peace and harmony without good faith, integrity, a high degree of responsibility, and a real desire to cooperate on the part of all parties concerned.