Dec 7, 2022Podcasts Do Not Make Good BooksA Review of Iconoclast: Ideas That Have Shaped the Culture Wars — Peter Boghossian, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nicholas Christakis, Heather Heying, Gad Saad, Coleman Hughes, Steven Pinker. These are just some of the names of contributors to Iconoclast: Ideas That Have Shaped the Culture Wars*, so those interested in the culture war will be eager to consume the ideas by so many…Culture War6 min readCulture War6 min read
Jul 19, 2022Conservatism: A ReviewA liberal, atheist review of Conservatism: A Rediscovery by Yoram Hazony — Yoram Hazony’s new book, Conservatism, a Rediscovery*, is part rediscovery, part validation, and part failure to discover—for me at least. This book will be good and bad at different parts depending on the reader’s current beliefs and how strongly they’re held. Thus, a little of my background is in order. …Political Science16 min readPolitical Science16 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Mar 1, 2022Defending the Weak Against the StrongThe moral argument for the U.S. defense of Ukraine — Russia has just invaded Ukraine. This was preceded by many very clear indicators. There has been much debate in America and elsewhere as to the level of the threat and what the U.S. and NATO responses should be. The geopolitics of Russia, Ukraine, NATO, the Soviet Union and its downstream…Ukraine6 min readUkraine6 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Nov 17, 2021Political Reform 2: ReconciliationAn idea that would make our elected officials actually represent what we want — This essay is one of a series, you can see the previous one here. When someone is elected to an office in most US systems, they are supposed to represent a whole bunch of people who didn’t vote for them. Almost no candidate gets the vast majority of their constituents’…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Apr 17, 2021A Letter to the Critical Theory Skeptics GroupExamining Very Influential Ideas, and How to do so Properly — The following is a letter to the members of a Facebook group I help manage. The group is small and relatively new, but the viewpoint diversity of its membership is quite remarkable, as is the level of intellectual discussion. Facebook is not a good forum for long essays, and I…Social Media7 min readSocial Media7 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Jan 20, 2021Challenges to DemocracyThe good things that frustrate democracy, and how to have them all — “And what, I said, will be the best limit for our rulers to fix when they are considering the size of the State and the amount of territory which they are to include, and beyond which they will not go? What limit would you propose? I would allow the State…Democracy7 min readDemocracy7 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Jan 7, 2021‘We the People’ Have a ProblemViolence in the U.S. Capitol is not a Right or Left problem. It’s a We problem. — The protest and violence at our nation’s Capitol yesterday should worry us all. No, not because “the right” is getting bolder. It is because the United States of America is diminished because of these events. If you’re an American citizen or someone who benefits from American stability you should be…Protest5 min readProtest5 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Dec 22, 2020Why “Lived Experience” Is a Poor Basis for KnowledgeRecently, the term “lived experience” has become popular as a way of knowing or understanding things. This idea actually conflates two things. First is the understanding that we all operate in the world together and therefore need common frames of reference to interact and communicate with each other. The second…Culture4 min readCulture4 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Dec 2, 2020What Is a Motte & Bailey?A popular deceptive tactic you should be aware of — The motte and bailey as a form of argumentation is a rather recent phenomenon. It has been used to great effect by some people talking about today’s hottest topics. It’s important to learn how to identify it and understand how it works. Once you do, you’ll spot the tactic easily…BlackLivesMatter5 min readBlackLivesMatter5 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Nov 19, 2020What is the Overton Window?How topics become more or less acceptable to discuss — If you follow politics, you’ve probably heard of the Overton window. If not, you’re probably familiar with the concept, and it’s useful to have it laid out clearly and classified with a term you can refer to. The Overton window, put as simply as possible, is the range of acceptable…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
