The Eric Metaxas Show #30 - Socrates Conversations: Heather Mac Donald / Roger Kimball
Dec 29, 2025
Roger Kimball, an editor and cultural critic, and Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, delve into the complexities of Western civilization. They discuss the decline in art standards, highlighting Duchamp's controversial influence which they argue undermines craftsmanship. The conversation shifts to the criteria of good art versus mere labels. They challenge the self-blame of the West and defend the significance of merit while addressing the dynamics of beauty, transgression, and the politicization in modern art.
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Speakers' Professional Backgrounds
- Roger Kimball introduces himself as editor of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books.
- Heather Mac Donald identifies with Manhattan Institute and its role in reclaiming NYC in the 1990s.
Duchamp's Break With Craft
- Marcel Duchamp's readymades shifted art from craft to concept and opened the floodgates for banal and transgressive work.
- Roger Kimball argues this change removed the requirement to see and master technique before being called art.
Learn Craft Before Breaking Rules
- Show mastery of basic skills like drawing to earn credibility before breaking rules.
- Heather Mac Donald advises that learned seeing and hand-eye coordination justify abstract departures.