The McKeon Center is leading two ambitious research initiatives that both honor and extend the legacy of Richard McKeon. Through these projects, the McKeon Center not only preserves the legacy of Richard McKeon, but actively brings his spirit of inquiry and innovation into vibrant engagement with the challenges of liberal arts education today.
McKeon Pedagogical Guide
One of the Center’s projects is a comprehensive pedagogical guide based on McKeon’s innovative integration of philosophy, rhetoric and the natural sciences. Using the extensive McKeon archives in the Regenstein Library, the Center is distilling his lecture notes, syllabi and unpublished papers into a resource that both recovers his core methods and adapts them for today’s classrooms. The guide aims to strengthen the analytical, critical and interpretive skills central to the liberal arts, offering practical tools for inquiry and intellectual growth.
McKeon Biography
The Center’s second major project is a comprehensive intellectual biography of Richard McKeon. Despite his lasting influence, the story of his life and scholarship remains fragmented. Drawing on the rich McKeon papers in the Regenstein Library’s Special Collections, the Center is crafting a cohesive account of his intellectual evolution, contributions, and impact on twentieth-century thought. This work will fill a long-standing gap in scholarship and offer fresh insights into McKeon’s enduring significance.