University of Wisconsin Young Americans for Freedom hosted conservative radio talk show host and founder of Prager University Dennis Prager Wednesday evening.
The lecture, titled “The commencement address you won’t hear from your school,” focused on the life lessons a liberal university will not give its students.
Prager centered his talk around what he believes to be an important question society should be asking itself: How do you make good people?
Classes in universities, particularly philosophy, do not teach its students how to make good people because universities tend to lean left on the political spectrum, where people believe humans are inherently good, Prager said.
“People believe that people are inherently good, which is a foolish view of humanity,” Prager said.
In the U.S., life is good compared to the rest of the world, which results in a distorted view of humanity, Prager said. The rest of the world is more corrupt and many Americans have not had the chance to experience this difference, so they are unable to comprehend the idea that humans are not inherently good.
Prager brought up an example of an experience he had in Africa. While in a taxi, the driver had to give a monetary bribe to the police just to be let through a barricade.
“I tell my fellow Jews, how do you read anything about Auschwitz and think people are basically good? Are you out of your mind?” Prager said.
Prager pointed out that Americans are more likely than Europeans to volunteer and give their time to others because the US government puts an emphasis on its citizens caring for themselves, while countries with a more socialist economic view believe the government should take care of them.
The view that the government should take care of people is not in line with forming good people, Prager said. People get meaner the more the government takes care of them.
“Socialism makes people selfish. Very simple,” Prager said.
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Prager believes the emphasis current society, particularly the left, places on feelings is the reason we are on a “downfall.” Instead, people should place emphasis on how a person acts.
One example he brought forth was transgender people who experience gender dysphoria. Prager recognized that scientifically, this is something that occurs, but it is rare. But he takes issue with the fact that people are thinking they are transgender at young ages.
Prager said people need to start being more realistic to multiple issues in society, and that begins with being realistic about the fact that people are not inherently good.
“If you know human nature is not basically good, you will spend your life fighting yourself more than your society,” Prager said. “The left fights America, but not themselves.”
