Meritocracy and its De-merits
From early in our history, Americans have been proud of being a “meritocracy.” Anyone, we claim, can rise to the heights of our society through brains, effort,…
Bertrand de Jouvenel: Forgotten Conservative
In the disaster for humanity that was the 20th Century, dominated by the murderous dreams of collectivist ideologies and the unrestrained lust for power and the knife,…
What Is This Thing Called Virtue?
Believe it or not, in at least one specific area public discourse in the United States is a bit better than it was a few decades ago.…
T.S Eliot’s Christianity and Culture: The Problem of Establishment
T. S. Eliot indisputably was, and remains, in the first rank of poets of any era and any culture.[1] Eliot is almost as well known among literate…
On Statesmanship: The Case of John Adams
What kind of person is worthy of being called a “statesman”? What type of character, what accomplishments, what life makes someone a defender of the public good…
Burke’s Defense of Natural Rights and the Limits of Political Power
For decades, now, many among that ever-shrinking group of centrist and conservative academics have engaged in sometimes acrimonious debates over the sources and nature of our constitutional…
Can a Generation Own the Earth?
Jefferson, of course, was the President who praised the French Revolution, even apologizing for its murderous Reign of Terror. He was the public opponent of slavery, whose…
Why Steve Jobs was a Spoiled Child: Does it Matter?
2 ½ years after his death from cancer, Steve Jobs remains an icon of contemporary business and popular culture. Co-founder of Apple, he amassed a fortune of…
Steve Jobs: The Spoiled Child as Tech Guru
Steve Jobs’ entrance into the technology business was less than auspicious. In an early manifestation of what came to be called his “reality distortion field,” Jobs insisted…
Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Jacobin in King Arthur’s Court
Mark Twain, that teller of tall tales from the American frontier, has an almost mythical status in American literature and culture. The white suit, the wild hair,…
John Locke and the Dark Side of Toleration
It seems likely that most Americans would find John Locke’s definition of a church non-controversial, perhaps even obvious. This shows both how relevant the seventeenth century philosopher…
The Limits of Liberty
We live in a time of law, in which there seem to be statutes, rules, and regulations regarding virtually every aspect of our lives. The battle cry of…
Is America Devolving into Soft Totalitarianism?
What should a democratic people fear in their leaders? That depends on the character of the people. When the great French philosopher and statesman Alexis de Tocqueville…
Statesmanship and the Dangers of Civil Religion
I recently attended a conference on statesmanship. Truth be told, there are reasons to be ambivalent about statesmanship. While public service is a great virtue, the statesman…
Can Subsidiarity Restore American Self-Government?
Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so…