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The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities is an honorary lecture series established in 1972 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). According to the NEH, the Lecture is "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities."〔(Jefferson Lecture ) at NEH Website (retrieved January 22, 2009).〕 ==History of the Jefferson Lecture== The Jefferson Lecturer is selected each year by the National Council on the Humanities, the 26-member citizen advisory board of the NEH. The honoree delivers a lecture in Washington, D.C., generally in conjunction with the spring meeting of the Council, and receives an honorarium of $10,000. The stated purpose of the honor is to recognize "an individual who has made significant scholarly contributions in the humanities and who has the ability to communicate the knowledge and wisdom of the humanities in a broadly appealing way."〔 The first Jefferson Lecturer, in 1972, was Lionel Trilling. He spoke on "Mind in the Modern World." Among other things, Trilling suggested that humanism had become the basis for social improvement, rather than science and the scientific method as has been predicted by Thomas Jefferson, the Lectures' namesake.〔Alvin Krebs and Robert McG. Thomas, ("Notes on People; Jeffersonian Theory Gets New Lease on Life," ) ''New York Times'', May 12, 1981.〕 Ten years later, Gerald Holton, the first scientist invited to deliver the lecture, drew attention for responding to Trilling, proposing that Jefferson's vision of science as a force for social improvement was still viable, opining that there had been a "relocation of the center of gravity" of scientific inquiry toward solving society's important problems,〔Alvin Krebs and Robert McG. Thomas, ("Notes on People; Jeffersonian Theory Gets New Lease on Life," ) ''New York Times'', May 12, 1981.〕 and cautioning that science education had to be improved dramatically or only a small "technological elite" would be equipped to take part in self-government.〔("Holton, in Jefferson Lecture, Criticizes Science Education," ) ''Harvard Crimson'', May 15, 1981.〕 The selection of the 2000 Jefferson Lecturer led to a spate of controversy. The initial selection was President Bill Clinton. William R. Ferris, chairman of the NEH, said that his intent was to establish a new tradition for every President to deliver a Jefferson Lecture during his or her presidency, and that this was consistent with the NEH's broader effort to increase public awareness of the humanities. However, some scholars and political opponents objected that the choice of Clinton represented an inappropriate and unprecedented politicization of the NEH. The heads of the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Humanities Alliance expressed concerns about introducing political considerations into the selection, while William J. Bennett, a conservative Republican and former chairman of the NEH under President Reagan, charged that the proposal was an example of how Clinton had "corrupted all of those around him."〔Irvin Molotsky, ("Choice of Clinton to Give Humanities Lecture Meets Resistance," ) ''New York Times'', September 21, 1999.〕 In the wake of the controversy, President Clinton declined the honor; a White House spokesperson said the President "didn't want the work of the National Endowment for the Humanities to be called into question."〔("National News Briefs; Clinton Declines Offer To Give Scholarly Talk," ) ''New York Times'', September 22, 1999.〕 Ultimately the 2000 honor went to historian James M. McPherson, whose lecture turned out to be very popular. Subsequently, the NEH revised the criteria for the award to place more emphasis on speaking skills and public appeal.〔Ron Southwick, ("NEH Wants Jefferson Lectures to Have More Public Appeal," ) ''Chronicle of Higher Education'', October 6, 2000.〕 The next Jefferson Lecture, by playwright Arthur Miller, again led to attacks from conservatives〔Bruce Craig, "Arthur Miller's Jefferson Lecture Stirs Controversy," in ("Capital Commentary" ), ''OAH Newsletter'' Recent Jefferson Lecturers have included journalist/author Tom Wolfe;〔David Epstein, ("A Speech in Full," ) ''Inside Higher Ed'', May 11, 2006.〕 Straussian conservative political philosopher Harvey Mansfield;〔Philip Kennicott, ("A Strauss Primer, With Glossy Mansfield Finish," ) ''Washington Post'', May 9, 2007. 〕 and novelist John Updike, who, in a nod to the NEH's (''Picturing America'' ) arts initiative, devoted his 2008 lecture to the subject of American art.〔Jennifer Howard, ("In Jefferson Lecture, Updike Says American Art Is Known by Its Insecurity," ) ''Chronicle of Higher Education'', May 23, 2008.〕〔Jay Tolson,("John Updike on American Art," ) ''U.S. News & World Report'', May 23, 2008.〕 In his 2009 lecture, bioethicist and self-described "humanist" Leon Kass expressed his view that science has become separated from its humanistic origins, and the humanities have lost their connection to metaphysical and theological concerns.〔Serena Golden, ("Tough Love for the Humanities" ), ''Inside Higher Ed'', May 22, 2009 (retrieved May 22, 2009).〕 In 2013 the NEH went in a different direction, selecting film director Martin Scorsese. He was the first filmmaker chosen for the honor, and he spoke on "the evolution of his films, the art of storytelling, and the inspiration he draws from the humanities".〔Dave Itzkoff, ("He’s Talking to You: Scorsese to Give Jefferson Lecture for National Endowment for the Humanities" ), ''The New York Times'', February 19, 2013.〕 In 2014 the Jefferson Lecturer was author Walter Isaacson,〔Chris Waddington, ("Best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson will deliver prestigious Jefferson Lecture in 2014" ), ''Times-Picayune'', January 28, 2014.〕 and the 2015 honoree is playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith.〔Jennifer Schuessler, ("Anna Deavere Smith to Deliver Jefferson Lecture" ), ''The New York Times'', February 19, 2015.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jefferson Lecture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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