I am here to give you back your future. Human flourishing in the coming post-liberal West. The hour is late, and Moloch is within the gates. Foundationalism. Reality-focused writings, often on history and politics.
Episodes
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
A memoir of political action and violence in 1920s Germany with, as always, lessons for today—most importantly, that it is a myth that the young are Left, and that rapid change is in the nature of unstable, discredited regimes. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Matthew B. Crawford is back, with thoughts on automation, embodied cognition, and safetyism. They are very good thoughts. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
A book not really about the diamond, but about the superiority of Western culture. (The written version of this review was first published May 19, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
On the most important book of the year, Michael Anton’s The Stakes, which you should read, right now, to prepare for the immediate future. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, a man who challenged the interests of the powerful, and why his successors today are hampered in ways he was not, such that more direct methods are necessary. (The written version of this review was first published April 21, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Not just a review of this book, by choice extremist Deirdre McCloskey, but also an explanation of why I will no longer read or review any modern book by the Left merely in order to disprove it. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Dani Rodrik's book disappoints, since he is unable to escape the old and tired neoliberal frame, and doesn't even try very hard. (The written version of this review was first published April 21, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Saturday Aug 15, 2020
Saturday Aug 15, 2020
A thrilling tale of the brief, but spectacular, Portuguese efflorescence between 1490 and 1520, featuring a cast of characters we could use today. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Tuesday Aug 11, 2020
Tuesday Aug 11, 2020
This is the book that made William Manchester, later the biographer of Churchill, and it is both a book well worth reading, and one that could only have been written when it was, 1968. (The written version of this review was first published April 20, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Saturday Aug 08, 2020
Saturday Aug 08, 2020
Barry Strauss's latest book doesn't offer anything particularly new, but it does offer food for thought. And I predict our November future! (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)