An interview with ISI Honors Fellow Jordan Hylden (2004–05)

Jordan Hylden, ISI Honors Fellow 2004–05

How did you hear about the ISI Honors Program?
I heard about the Honors Program from a friend of mine who was a senior at Harvard the year I was a freshman. I've possibly gotten more mileage out of that single piece of advice than any other I've received in college!

What initially convinced you that the Honors Program was a worthwhile program in which to participate?
Well, to be perfectly honest, I was attracted by the chance at a free trip to Oxford! Beyond that, of course it was the education — the classes I'd been taking at Harvard were great in many ways, but there are some things that, being a conservative on a largely liberal campus, you simply won't pick up. There's only so much you can learn from consistently being in opposition — you also need to find people who can challenge and inform your views from a conservative point of view. I hoped I'd find that in the Honors Program.

What did you expect the summer conference would offer you intellectually and philosophically?
I was very drawn to the prospect of spending time with and learning from people who were both smart and conservative at the same time -- at Harvard, there's no shortage of smart people, but of course conservatives are few and far between. I imagined that through the Honors Program, I would be exposed to ideas that up to that point I'd only encountered in books, or perhaps not at all. At Harvard, I was exposed to the best liberal thought; I hoped that ISI would expose me to the best conservative minds. That in fact is what happened, and my education would have been incomplete otherwise.

What did you take away from the conference?
For me it was formative. Only a few days in, I began to realize how little I knew, and how much I had to learn! People were throwing around ideas from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Hobbes, Burke — to me, these people had been little more than dusty books on a library shelf, but here they came alive! I actually became frustrated rather quickly with my education up until that point — at Harvard, I'd learned a good amount of interesting information, but hadn't acquired any sort of foundation on which to ground it upon — I had no way of fitting together all of the disparate facts and perspectives about which I'd learned. That week at Oxford was, in many ways, the beginning of my education. There's a great deal of difference between learning facts and receiving an education, and the Honors Program began to show me what it truly meant to be an educated person. I don't think my education would have taken the direction it has without it. It's hard for me to emphasize fully the role that the Honors Program played in my intellectual formation.

What did the rest of your Honors year consist of?
The Honors Program is really the gift that keeps on giving — it's absolutely impossible to pay ISI back for what they give you! In addition to the Oxford conference, I traveled to two other events over the course of the year, a weekend colloquium in Seattle and the Honors Program Reunion Banquet in Indianapolis. Both events were invaluable, both in terms of the education itself and the connections made with ISI faculty and students. Some of the people I met at those conferences were among the smartest, most interesting individuals I've ever had the privilege to meet, and lots of us have stayed in touch. In fact, I am working at a magazine in New York this year with one of them. The people you meet through ISI are an invaluable part of the experience. And of course, I can't leave out the faculty mentoring as well — Mark Henrie, who I know is phenomenally busy, took pains to answer my questions, keep in touch, and give me some very strong advice and guidance throughout the course of the year. He even sent me books from time to time that he thought would interest me. Having a connection like that is such a blessing, especially during one's college years — there are so many important decisions to be made, and without a wise word from Mark from time to time, I know for a fact I would have missed out on a great deal.

What was your favorite aspect of being an ISI Honors Fellow?
That's a difficult question! If I have to choose just one aspect, I'd have to say that it's being part of such an intelligent, original group of students and faculty. Because of them, my views have been broadened, sharpened, and deepened in important ways. You learn so much from the people you meet, and the relationships don't end with the first week — they continue. Also, without going into too much detail. I have to mention the hospitality. The hospitality was wonderful.

In what ways did your Honors Program experience compliment or improve upon the education you received at Harvard?
As I mentioned earlier, ISI gave me both a foundation for a true liberal arts education and an exposure to a whole new universe of ideas that I'd not yet encountered. Not only did I receive an education, I learned for the first time what it meant to be educated. It's possible, and in fact it's likely, that one can go through four years of college without learning anything more than a mishmash of interesting facts, along with a specialized skill set directed towards a particular job field, like marketing or engineering or business. ISI's mission is educating the whole person, not just imparting correct information or useful skills, but truth, wisdom, and goodness. Too few colleges do that anymore. I can't say enough about the importance of receiving that type of education, no matter what you plan on doing in life. I'll put it this way: most American colleges are good at teaching people how to be smart and successful, but ISI is good at teaching people how to be wise. And thankfully, it's not an either-or scenario: there's no reason not to aspire to all three!

What opportunities have you had as a result of being an Honors Fellow?
Starting this summer, I'll be working at First Things, which I've read religiously for years and have always aspired to write for. Of course I have no idea if I'll ever actually write anything that someone other than my mother will want to read, but it's given me an opportunity that I never dreamed I'd have growing up on a farm in North Dakota. I'm quite sure that I wouldn't have gotten the job without the Honors Program.

How did the Honors Program experience affect either your academic life or your career path?
If you can believe it, I used to think (gasp!) that I wanted to be a trial lawyer. But ISI has a way of changing one's plans — it's a bit of a joke among us alums that it's only a matter of time before we all throw in the towel, go to grad school, get Ph.D.'s in something "obscure," and then travel the circuit as ISI professors for the rest of our lives. Quite seriously, though, the Honors Program exposes you to a world of ideas. You grow immensely in the discussions and debates; in your exposure to an entire intellectual movement. You start to love it, and before you know it you're addicted! That's essentially what happened to me — I'll be at Duke for grad school after my year at First Things, and I'm seriously considering the academic track (as well as ordination, but that's another story). Now, of course that doesn't happen to everyone, but you do have to watch yourself! Through ISI, I realized that this was what I loved. I suppose I may wind up as a third-string intellectual working at some tiny little academic journal someday, but do you know what? I'll be happy.

What piece of advice would you give to students considering the Honors Program?
I'd say this: if you're at all interested in the pursuit of wisdom and the good life rather than simply the collection of useful information; if you genuinely love ideas and stimulating intellectual challenge; and if you want to learn more than whatever it is you're getting at your university — then you need to apply. I honestly can't recommend it enough.

Jordan Hylden was a 2006 graduate of Harvard College with an A.B. in Government. He was a William E. Simon Noble Purpose Fellowship Recipient and a Junior Fellow at First Things in 2006-07, and is presently enrolled at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC.

For more information on the Honors Program, please contact John Joseph Shanley at honors@isi.org or (800) 526-7022.

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