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
Saturday Mar 28, 2020
Saturday Mar 28, 2020
A very recent book that became more relevant overnight—its diagnosis of decadence, and what comes after, is newly relevant in a world changed by the Chinese virus. But Douthat ignores the elephant in the room. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
A partially successful attempt to compress a thousand years of complex history into a readable text. (The written version of this review was first published February 11, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
Saturday Mar 21, 2020
A complete analysis of the eternal modern Western battle between those who focus on human limits (and who often wish humanity would disappear) and those who view science and technology as handmaidens to man's progress and destiny. (The written version of this review was first published February 9, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
Thursday Mar 19, 2020
It is, I think, timely to consider the differences in how the Chinese and the Americans approach the world. It is certainly instructive. (The written version of this review was first published February 7, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Monday Mar 16, 2020
Monday Mar 16, 2020
In these times of turmoil, why the 1960s were not just a mistake, but a societal evil, and how we can take advantage of today's circumstances to get back on track. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Thursday Mar 12, 2020
Thursday Mar 12, 2020
A short review, for once, of this excellent work, which discusses how the modern world, in thought and technology, was birthed by Europeans a thousand years ago. (The written version of this review was first published January 27, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Thoughts about obscure conflicts from fourteen hundred years ago, and what they tell us of today. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Of Niall Ferguson's excellent 2018 "The Square and the Tower," and of low-trust societies and the effects of technology on our political future. Prescient, from the viewpoint of 2020. (The written version of this review was first published January 24, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
A book with some interesting points, but extremely narrow and deliberately self-blinkered. (The written version of this review was first published January 24, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
This 2010 book outlines much of today's even-more-pressing debates about whether America should implement an industrial policy. (The written version of this review was first published January 17, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)