._r ,,.. ' > '., w ..- . - 4 -, Page Two THE MICHIGAN fDAILY mnc#nv Anr;l 79 19SF Sunday, April 29, 1956 THE MICHIGAN DAILY ... IvI%-Ia vi-a - vne..IJuriuyl/1 lII £7, 17J 3 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Graduate Artists CONTENTS ANN ARBOR AT NIGHT-Impressionistic snatches of a quiet city. Page 2 GRADUATE ARTISTS-The first exhibit of its kind; over 120 pieces of work. Page 2 CONSERVATIVES vs. LIBERALS-An attempt toward definition of terms that have become perhaps as corrupted as politics. itself. Page 3 SIX CLASSIC CAMPUS DATES-A candid report on the Univer- sity social situation. Pages 4 and 5 CAMPUS ARCHITECTURE-In defense of the diversity of styles and an explanation of the policy behind the diversity. Pages 6 and 7 NATHANAEL WEST-Discussion of a "minor" literary genius. Page 8 OOSTERBAAN OUT OF SEASON-Profile of a football coach off the field. Page 9 IN SEARCH OF VICE-A "townie" bar-a world away from the students. Page 10' SUPPLEMENT EDITOR-Debra Durchslag SUPPLEMENT.PHOTOGRAPHER-John Hirtzel SUPPLEMENT ARTIST-David Rohs THE STRUGGLE FOR A DEFINITION The Right Time ft (Continued from Page 3) IN AN ATTEMPT to summarize the differences in the disputes between liberalism and conserva- tism, to describe them so that they relate to both contemporary and historical problems, we might at- tempt a definition along these lines: Liberalism is a belief in the legitimacy of human wants as the primary concern of organiz- ed society, perhaps the only con- cern. Liberalism is usually associated with a desire for change in the direction of greater fulfillment of those wants. WHILE few writers explicity state T the liberal point of view, as de- fined "above, the criteria listed would seem to divide best those we calliconservatives and those we call liberals. The Pragmatist philosopher, William James came close to enunciating the pure liberal view when he wrote: "Take any de- mand, however, slight, which any creature, however weak, may make. Ought it not, for its own sake, to be satisfied?--If not, prove why not. The only possible rea- son there can be why any pheno- menon ought to exist is that such a phenomenon is actually desired." The ethic James derived from this reasoning was similar to that of Utilitarian . Jeremy Bentham who held that the end of society was the greatest happiness for the greatest number, a maximization of the fulfillment of human wants. JOHN ADAMS reflected the crux of conservative dispute with liberals when he said of their prec- ious human wants: "That the first wants of every man is his dinner and the second want his girl were truths well known .. . long before the great philosopher Malthus -Daiy--JO n Hlrtzel A First Showing From left to right, Jim Anthony, Jim Eldridge, and Bob Kiley are shown with a few of the paintings which will be shown in the first graduate art studentsi exhibition, to be held May 6 through May 27 In the Museum of Art. The show will include approximately 60 paintings and 60 prints as well as Several pieces of sculpture and will represent the work of seven graduate artists. The majority of the Work shown will be current pieces, many of them done in the last two or three months. arose to think he enlightened the world by his discovery." But conservativism can attack from more than one side, disput- ing the liberal ethic at any or all points-maintaining that human wants themselves are vain, mean- ingless or secondary, that they are purely personal and none of society's business, that society can do nothing to promote thir ful- fillment. Such definitions make liberalism a consistent philosophy and con- servativism consistent only in that it disputes liberalism. This does not require, however, that conser- vativism be negative in outlook. Rather it means that conservati- vism has enjoyed a flexibility of direction as well as of degree; it can give primacy to infinite num- bers of demands above the sole ethic of fulfilling human wants. Justice, morality, culture, priva- cy, revealation, "due process of law," duty, "rugged individual- ism," discipline, "liberal educa- tion," are a few of the ideals to which the true liberal subscribes only insofar as they represent hu- man wants but which more than one modern conservative has ad- vanced as a legitimate check on human desires. THE DIVERSITY of possible conservative objections to the rising liberal ethic keeps conser- vativism alive in every generation, and as one roadblock is shattered another soon appears. The debate is still relevant to the social, economic, political, and legal issues of our day. As long as human wants are considered by some to be of primary concern, as long as others finfd no inherent validity in anything so transitory or find need to rationalize their own status at society's expense, there will be no resolution of this most important and enduring con- flict in our history. Vhites anding, evest! poetic grotesque. :¢r..}p+".f Y ~,. {;;"n. .r;Y~y {:r;yS{:yy: "." r~ r,;v