Ballast on the Ship of State: Statesmanship as Human Excellence
The founding fathers of modern republicanism had no qualms about appealing to the crucial role of the “founder” or “legislator” in establishing and sustaining free and lawful…
A Political Philosophy of Conservatism
A Political Philosophy of Conservatism: Prudence, Moderation and Tradition. Ferenc Hörcher. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020. A Political Philosophy of Conservatism focuses on the fourth cardinal…
Marcus Tullius Cicero and the Harmony Between Politics and Philosophy
The long and distinguished career of the famous Roman statesman, philosopher, and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero illuminates many important lessons about the interaction between philosophical speculation and…
Dumpster Diving for Cicero
Five years ago, an institution of learning in my neighborhood began to throw out perfectly fine books. Works from Shakespeare to Tolkien to Wyndham were tossed from…
The Republic’s Purpose: A Few Thoughts Inspired by Cicero and Machiavelli
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he…
The Conservative in Crisis: Notes on De Officiis
I. Since August 1914 the world has seen much of war and revolution. The course of events, the moral disorganization of individuals, the destruction of anticipation, and…
The Protestant Heritage of Classical Humanism: Melanchthon and Cicero
Here is the grand fact that Protestant theologians always overlook. They, in reality, always present nature and grace as two antagonistic powers, and suppose the presence of…
Rome and Christianity
St. Augustine and Varro's Civil Theology It is curious that both Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine, while bitterly engaged in the struggle for existential representation of Christianity,…
The Limits of Modern Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism Today The word cosmopolitan implies that the world itself can be regarded as a polis or political community and that it is possible for the human…