Episodes

Saturday Jul 20, 2019
Conformity: The Power of Social Influences (Cass R. Sunstein)
Saturday Jul 20, 2019
Saturday Jul 20, 2019
Everyone talks about conformity; Cass Sunstein tries to break it down and offers useful tools for examining the mechanisms of conformity, when it is good, and when it is bad. He even succeeds, in part. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Thursday Jul 18, 2019
West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express (Jim DeFelice)
Thursday Jul 18, 2019
Thursday Jul 18, 2019
Something a bit more personal, since I had a relative who rode for the Pony Express, a brief, but (formerly) iconic episode in American history. (The written version of this was originally posted January 9, 2019).

Saturday Jul 13, 2019

Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings (Tom Shippey)
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Today we talk about Vikings, real Vikings, with an emphasis on history but, as usual, some thoughts on today. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Saturday Jul 06, 2019
The Social Media Upheaval (Glenn Harlan Reynolds)
Saturday Jul 06, 2019
Saturday Jul 06, 2019
A more-or-less complete set of thoughts on what should be done with respect to social media, both in regard to nonpartisan problems created by social media platforms, and with regard to the suppression of conservative speech by the Lords of Tech. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Thoughts, for Independence Day no less, on how the government by elitist bureaucracy we have today conflicts with the vision of the Founders and with natural right, and what my political program, Foundationalism, will offer instead. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Saturday Jun 29, 2019
On Communitarianism
Saturday Jun 29, 2019
Saturday Jun 29, 2019
Today we offer not a book review, but an analysis, of communitarianism—a perennial political idea that has recently received fresh attention. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Friday Jun 28, 2019
Friday Jun 28, 2019
Stepping away from the hurly-burly of current events, today we talk about a core, yet obscure, Christian doctrine. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Friday Jun 21, 2019
Friday Jun 21, 2019
A throwback today, that is not really a throwback. Thoughts from, and thoughts about, Carl Schmitt, reality-based master of the philosophy of enmity, in his book Theory of the Partisan. (The written version of this review can be found here.)

Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
Our thoughts on the manifesto offered by Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who offers a mix of insane fantasy and moderately interesting ideas. (The written version of this review can be found here.)