Dr. Ethan Fishman, professor of political science at the University of South Alabama, recently wrote an article for “The American Scholar” titled “Not Compassionate, Not Conservative.” A political conservative, Fishman describes Bush’s conservatism as a form of pseudo-conservatism. Fishman concludes in his article that as long as Americans fear attacks from powerful enemies and remain fearful of their status in society, pseudo-conservatism will persist in American politics. The article was based on a 1954 “American Scholar” article about McCarthyism written by historian Richard Hofstadter.

Fishman has taught at USA since 1980. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Harpur College, his master’s degree at SUNY-Binghamton, and his Ph.D. at Duke University. His research interests deal with the application of classical Western ideals to contemporary American political issues.

Among his many scholarly publications, Fishman has written “Likely Stories: Essays on Political Philosophy and Contemporary American Literature,” published by the University of Florida Press in 1989, and “The Prudential Presidency: an Aristotelian Approach to Presidential Leadership,” published by Praeger Publishers in 2001.

“The American Scholar” is a quarterly magazine of literature, science, history, public affairs, and culture published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.