Cherie Harder’s daily work proves that at least some of Washington’s leading thinkers deserve the reputation, despite the punditry. Harder, 41, is president of the Trinity Forum, a nonprofit institute for “classical executive education,” where participants engage with life’s deepest questions. Harder is also a veteran of Capitol Hill, where she served as policy adviser to then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and the White House, where she was first lady Laura Bush’s director of policy and projects. In a conversation with The Washington Examiner, she shared her thoughts on faith and the lasting importance of the humanities.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I am a Christian. I’ve attended churches of several denominations but would consider myself “merely” Christian, or less concerned with denomination than with the basics — the reality of evil, our need for transformation, and the redemption and love that Jesus offers.
You’ve spent a good part of your career on the Hill and in the White House. If you could facilitate a retreat for our politicians, what would you require they read?
One story they should all read — and many of them have — is that of British politician William Wilberforce (1759-1833). He is a remarkable example of someone who thought very creatively about how to bring about justice and human flourishing at a time when there was a social consensus that slavery was just fine, and an economic necessity. And within his lifetime, he was able to bring about the abolition of Britain’s slave trade, which was one of the biggest changes — economically, socially, politically, and, of course, in terms of justice — that history has ever seen. He and his friends also ushered in extraordinary social and cultural changes, such as changes in the way poverty was viewed and combated, and changes in child labor laws.
It’s been said that the actual proves the possible. Wilberforce was an actual example of someone who used his office for amazing good. He was incredibly creative in doing it, and was known for both his dedication to the cause and for his winsomeness in dealing with his fellow members of Parliament. Of course, our circumstances are different than Wilberforce’s, but his example helps illustrate what could be.
Many people seem resigned to downplaying literature and philosophy as part of a complete education. When that happens, what does society miss out on?
A classical conception of education is to be able to distinguish the true from the false, the beautiful from the ugly, the good from the unjust — and not only to distinguish but to prefer the former to the latter. It necessarily involves reflection on and development of fundamental questions of what it means to be a good person, to lead a good life, to determine how society should be ordered. These are all questions that belong to the humanities.
To take nothing from the importance of the sciences, people using applied science and technology are still people — they come to their jobs freighted with beliefs, worldviews, assumptions both examined and unexamined. The humanities aim at properly shaping a person’s reason and imagination, and that’s as important now as it ever was.
It’s tempting sometimes to think that when it comes down to it, we all agree on fundamental matters. Where have you found the real fault lines to lie?
I don’t think anyone — especially in politics — truly entertains the notion that we all agree with each other. The question is how we find unity amidst those differences.
The increasing polarization we’ve seen in the past several years is a challenge. Most political schisms and culture wars, at their basis, are arguments over what constitutes the good society — what it looks like for individuals, families, churches, schools, and what their relationships to the state should be. We do have deep differences. The challenge is in negotiating them, living with them, and governing amidst them in a way that protects freedom and promotes justice. That doesn’t require widespread agreement, but it does require civility and respect.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
“And these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” It’s a helpful reminder of what is most important and enduring — and how life and one’s time should be ordered as a result.
