DeKALB | “War! Uuh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing,” … except maybe for leading your life in a whole new direction.

Such was the case for Morton Frisch, professor emeritus of political science. Frisch has been a professor at NIU for 42 years and written dozens of books, essays and articles and all thanks to an act of fate.

“I was in World War II and served in an anti-aircraft outfit outside of London,” Frisch said. “I got the GI bill as a result of having served, which paid for my tuition, books, supplies and even $75 a month thanks to Senator Fulbright. He was the author of the GI bill and that’s how I got my education. I couldn’t have afforded it before.”

Alongside 53 years of teaching at the college level, Frisch also has worked on many books and articles, including a new book due out in April on the Pacificus-Helvidius debates, which touches on some very modern topics. The famous debates between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison focused on the power of the president in foreign affairs, a topic which has resurfaced today.

“I personally regard these debates as the second greatest set of debates in American history,” Frisch said. “These debates had Hamilton and Madison at each others throats over the topic.”

Despite the fact that the issue of presidential power in foreign affairs is an extremely current issue, that isn’t why the book was written, Frisch said.

“The Pacificus-Helvidius debates actually were not in print and I thought the book would be very useful in teaching a course in political thought, especially since I consider these debates so terribly important,” he said. “It’s a big issue and it has been for a long time.”

The ink hasn’t even dried on Frisch’s eighth book and he has already begun work on a paper which combines poetry and political philosophy. The paper, titled “Shakespearean Poetry as an Approach to Political Philosophy,” stems from political philosophy courses Frisch has taught which analyzes The Bard’s English History plays for their political message.

It’s this well-rounded approach to education that Frisch wishes more courses would take.

“I think that students need to have a good liberal arts background in English and history, it’s good for any field you go into,” he said. “I regard English literature as being terribly important.”

Frisch’s book, “The Pacificus-Helvidius Debates of 1793-1794,” hits the shelves in April of next year. Frisch is currently teaching a seminar on Aristotle’s ethics to political science graduate students.

Rachel Gorr is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.