2023 Constitution Day Lecture featuring Dr. Verlan Lewis & Dr. Hyrum Lewis

Thu, September 21, 2023 5:00 PM at Club Spartan (3rd Floor, Case Hall)

Join Dr. Verlan Lewis, Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University, and Dr. Hyrum Lewis, Professor of History at BYU-Idaho, as they discuss their new book The Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Undermines Constitutional Government in the United States.

As American politics descends into a battle of anger and hostility between two groups called “left” and “right,” people increasingly ask: What is the essential difference between these two ideological groups? As Hyrum Lewis and Verlan Lewis argue, there is no enduring philosophy, disposition, or essence uniting the various positions associated with the liberal and conservative ideologies of today. Far from being an eternal dividing line of American politics, the political spectrum came to the United States in the 1920s and, since then, left and right have evolved in so many unpredictable and even contradictory ways that there is currently nothing other than tribal loyalty holding together the many disparate positions that fly under the banners of “liberal” and “conservative.” Lewis and Lewis show why the idea that the political spectrum measures deeply held worldviews is the central political myth of our time and a major cause of the confusion and vitriol that characterize public discourse.

Constitution Day commemorates the anniversary of the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution and is intended to increase student awareness and appreciation of this important document. 

This event is open to the public. No registration is needed in order to attend.