The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Episode: Classical Architecture and Human Flourishing
Date: April 4, 2025
Host: Scott Bertram
Guests: Dr. Miles Smith (Assistant Professor of History, Hillsdale College), Justin Shubo (President, National Civic Art Society)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the vital importance of beauty and tradition in public architecture, as well as the broader civic value of a free and diverse press. Host Scott Bertram moderates two core discussions: first, with Dr. Miles Smith on the American free press tradition and its current challenges, and then with Justin Shubo on the role of classical architecture in American identity, recent federal policy, and the direction under the new Trump administration.

Segment 1: America’s Free Press Tradition

Guest: Dr. Miles Smith
Timestamps: 00:48–19:37

Key Points & Insights

• U.S. vs. Europe on Free Press:

  • The U.S. is unique due to the First Amendment; unlike many European nations, the government does not referee speech or press.
  • Quote: “In the United States, the [government] is sort of on the same playing field with all other speakers… the government doesn’t get to decide what information is true.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 01:41)

• Historical Context:

  • Early presidents, like George Washington, faced harsh press criticism but often exercised restraint, understanding their role was not to regulate the media.
  • Quote: “Washington takes not necessarily a hands off approach. He just doesn’t think he necessarily has hands that can mess with the press.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 02:33)

• Expertise and Government Overreach:

  • The tendency for “experts” to dominate the narrative stems from a progressive-era view that government and its expertise supersede citizen or press autonomy.
  • Quote: “A free press isn’t actually the highest… value for them. Reform… is. It means that government’s really the highest value.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 03:37)

• The Messiness (and Value) of a Free Press:

  • The multiplicity of opinions is vital—even if messy—because it allows for open dialogue, protects liberty, and helps prevent tyranny.
  • Quote: “The point of a free press is for the people to have those voices, not for the people to be told what’s true.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 04:30)
  • Quote: “If you only have one voice, you probably don’t have a lot of freedom.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 05:30)

• Debate over Licensing Journalists:

  • The notion that journalists should be licensed (like doctors) was dismissed as fundamentally opposed to American founding values.
  • Quote: “The idea that the government would be some sort of referee over saying who could be a journalist would strike [the Founders] as crazy… Journalism is supposed to be free.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 07:18)

• State Support and Potential Conflicts:

  • State-funded or subsidized media create inherent conflicts and undermine media autonomy.
  • Quote: “If the people don’t want to read something, why should the government decide that the people get to read it?” (Dr. Miles Smith, 09:27)

• Press Freedom in Wartime and the Post-9/11 Era:

  • Government deference to press freedom diminishes in wartime or perceived emergencies; since 9/11, this has become a semi-permanent state.
  • Self-policing among journalists has historically been the norm, rather than state censorship.

• Media as Government Mouthpiece, Especially During COVID:

  • When the press acts as a “government information service,” it destroys its credibility and frustrates citizens seeking independent voices.
  • Quote: “The government’s voice is supposed to be treated as just one among many… If you try to shut down the voices, the American people… sniff that out and say, I don’t think you care about the truth. I think you care about control.” (Dr. Miles Smith, 15:24)

• Changing Journalistic Training:

  • An ideological homogeneity in journalism schools fuels consensus narratives, leaving little room for genuine reporting or skepticism, as seen during the COVID era.

Segment 2: Classical Architecture and Civic Identity

Guest: Justin Shubo
Timestamps: 22:37–40:26

The Importance of Beauty and Tradition

• Public Buildings as Symbols:

  • Architecture and artwork reflect national ideals, historic memory, and sense of self.
  • Quote: “These speak to our identity, our ideals, who we are and who we wish to be… At their best, [monuments] crystallize historic memory, speak to our national identity.” (Justin Shubo, 22:54)
  • References Churchill’s view: “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” (24:11)

• Classical vs. Modernist Architecture: Emotional & Social Impact

  • Classical buildings (e.g., Lincoln Memorial) use columns, marble, steps—drawing on ancient traditions to inspire and ennoble.
  • Modernist (especially “brutalist”) buildings embody bureaucracy, facelessness, and sometimes even sinister qualities.
  • Quote: “[Brutalist buildings] embody faceless bureaucracy. This is not the image of America that… ordinary people wish to see.” (Justin Shubo, 24:44)
  • The move away from classical design post-WWII is described as a “wrong turn.”

• Cost Myths:

  • Shubo debunks the idea that classical architecture is necessarily more expensive; federal data show comparable costs with modernist buildings. (28:22)

Federal Policy and the Trump Administration

• Trump’s First Term:

  • Executive order at term’s end prioritized classical/traditional architecture for federal buildings, especially in D.C.; also called for public input.
  • Order was quickly rescinded by the incoming Biden administration, largely due to pressure from the architectural establishment and elite opinion.
  • Quote: “As a case in point, the New York Times… published an editorial titled ‘What’s So Great About Fake Roman Temples?’” (29:01)

• Trump’s Second Term Outlook:

  • A new memorandum asks the GSA to consider classical, historic, and regional styles; an improved executive order is expected soon, with broad public support across the political spectrum.
  • Quote: “72% of the people surveyed preferred classical and traditional design… this genuinely shouldn’t be a partisan issue.” (Justin Shubo, 35:08)

The World War I Memorial: A New Model

• Shubo’s Role:
  • Advocated for an open design competition and requirements that focused on heroism and valor, counterbalancing a trend toward memorials to victimhood.
  • Highlighted Sabin Howard’s winning classical design as emotionally rich, heroic, and unashamedly patriotic, showing that the classical tradition is “alive and well.”
  • Quote: “It’s a beautiful, inspiring design… At the end… there is a victory parade… with America on the ascendant…” (Justin Shubo, 31:37)

The Role of the National Endowment for the Arts

• Vision for the NEA:
  • Shubo calls for the NEA to support great art that reflects beauty and national values rather than ephemeral trends.
  • Quote: “A great nation deserves great art.” (Justin Shubo, quoting Dana Gioia, 37:37)
  • Criticizes contemporary art’s lack of meaning: “You’re more likely to see a banana duct-taped to the wall than a piece of art that is beautiful, profound, or moving.” (Justin Shubo, 38:31)

Classical Advocacy vs. Modernist Critique

• Not Just Nostalgia:
  • Shubo emphasizes both a rejection of soulless modernism and a positive embrace of classical forms, which he believes more genuinely resonate with human nature.
  • Quote: “I believe that [the classical] tradition is unsurpassed in its beauty, its harmony, its ability to make us feel at home in the world.” (Justin Shubo, 39:04)
  • Notes that people vacation and live where traditional architecture prevails—evidence of its deep appeal.

Memorable Quotes

• “The point of a free press is for the people to have those voices, not for the people to be told what’s true.”
  — Dr. Miles Smith (04:30)

• “These [public buildings and monuments] speak to our identity, our ideals, who we are and who we wish to be.”
  — Justin Shubo (22:54)

• “72% of the people surveyed preferred classical and traditional design… this genuinely shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
  — Justin Shubo (35:08)

• “You’re more likely to see a banana duct-taped to the wall than a piece of art that is beautiful, profound, or moving.”
  — Justin Shubo (38:31)

Important Timestamps

• 01:41 – Dr. Smith on First Amendment differences between U.S. and Europe
• 02:33 – Washington’s historical approach to the free press
• 04:30 – The true purpose of a free press explained
• 07:18 – Founders’ likely reaction to licensing journalists
• 15:24 – Dangers of suppressing non-government voices in the media
• 22:54 – Shubo on why architecture/beauty in public spaces matters
• 24:44 – Classical vs. modernist monument design impact
• 28:22 – Cost comparison of classical and modern architecture
• 31:37 – The World War I memorial as a return to heroism and the classical tradition
• 35:08 – Federal policy shifts and public preferences on architecture

Conclusion

This episode delivers an engaging discussion of the philosophical and practical stakes behind America’s built environment and freedom of the press. It argues that classical beauty in architecture powerfully shapes civic identity and human flourishing, and affirms that a truly free press—messy as it may be—remains vital for liberty and self-government. Both themes intersect around the importance of pluralism, tradition, and cultural confidence in shaping America’s future.