Here’s a new League post on whether democracies can be liberal—and whether liberalism can survive in democratic regimes: There are much more interesting questions lurking behind the (usually unprofitable) “are we/aren’t we a Christian or Protestant or WASP or plural nation?” debates: Just how much common ground does a liberal democracy need? Is there a point … Continue reading
Lately, I’ve been writing and thinking a lot about the place of uncertainty in modern political life. It’s central to my dissertation—because I’m confident that it’s central to 20th and 21st century politics. I mean something fairly specific by “uncertainty” here. To some degree, “radical pluralism” might be a better term. If you’ve ever found … Continue reading
Bachmann’s out. Perry’s hanging on by a thread. Santorum is nearing his apogee. Newt Gingrich is vowing to take down the GOP ship on his own. Sigh. Who cares? Here is what I really think: I could be cute and purposefully counter-intuitive. I could be resolutely serious. I could be any number of things, but … Continue reading
It takes a rare breed of dork to choose to write an esoteric dissertation in a far-flung academic field. It takes an even rarer breed to actually bring the damned thing to a conclusion. That’s why it’s beautiful to work in a few inside jokes on the way. I was explaining a section to my … Continue reading
One version of this story is a familiar—and a triumphal—one. It goes something like this: the egalitarian commitments of the Enlightenment once applied only to men of a certain race and class. Soon they were extended to all men, then to all women, and ultimately to all classes. Marriage went from strictly religious to a … Continue reading
It’s always good when the person before you in the “Contributors” list is Alexis de Tocqueville. Derek Barker; Richard Boyd; Paul Carresse; Brian Danoff; Albert W. Dzur; Khalil M. Habib; L. Joseph Hebert, Jr.; Peter Augustine Lawler; Susan McWilliams; Thomas L. Pangle; William B. Parsons, Jr.; Jon D. Schaff; F. Flagg Taylor IV; Aristide Tessitore; … Continue reading
I’ve promised before that I would eventually explain my dissertation topic (successfully defended on Dec. 3rd). Enough people have asked that I’m finally going to give it a go. Don’t blame me if you find yourself asleep on your keyboard, though… I came to college ready to save the United States (and the world) from … Continue reading
