Category: Social and Political Philosophy
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Three Lockean Reasons to Oppose the Destructive Dems
New, improved, updated. Top o' the Stack. A call to action. Get off your lazy butts and do something for the great Republic that has made it possible for you to live a good life. What are you, an ingrate? Do you have children, grandchildren? Don't you want them to have a good life? Are…
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We Have a Problem . . .
. . . and according to Malcolm Pollack, there's no fixing it: We have a problem, and as far as I can see, it isn’t going away; indeed, I expect it will get sharply worse in the wake of next month’s election. The problem, simply put, is that although the bedrock principle of the American…
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Are MAGA Republicans Fascists?
The Left's favorite 'F' word is 'fascist.' But of course leftists won't define it, the better to use it as a verbal cudgel. We know, however, that responsible discussion of a topic begins with a definition of terms. What is a fascist? More to the point, what is fascism? The term expresses what philosophers call…
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No Alternative to (Classical) Liberalism
Substack latest.
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Is the Enlightenment the Problem?
Considerations contra Top o' the Stack
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Slouching Toward Totalitarianism
Can Trump save us? Klingenstein: Is our regime totalitarian, emerging or otherwise? What makes it so? How far along are we? Can we fight back? Ellmers: I think the essay that Ted Richards and I wrote for your website, and the several excellent responses that you published, cover this pretty well. Klingenstein: How much can Trump fix it? Ellmers: Very hard…
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Seven Supposed Influencers of J. D. Vance
Politico lists Patrick Deneen, Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug), Rene Girard, Sohrab Ahmari, The Claremont Institute, Rod Dreher.
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Trump and the ‘Losertarians’
The Libertarian Party is for losers. If you are a conservative who votes Libertarian, you are behaving foolishly. You say you stand on 'principles'? Principles are great. And some of the Libertarian ones are salutary. But principles without power are just paper. Politics is a practical game. Wise up and get with the program. Don't…
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What is Fascism?
Are MAGA Republicans fascists? Answer at the top o' the Stack.
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Democracy and Toleration
Jesus and the Powers (N. T. Wright & Michael F. Bird, Zondervan, 2024): Democracies are compelled to tolerate and enfranchise [give the vote to] people who stand in resolute opposition to the very idea of democracy itself. (164) This sentence implies that a democracy is a system of government in which the will of the…
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Reading Now: Jesus and the Powers
By N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird. Subtitle: "Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies." Just out. Available via Amazon. Memo to Brian B: order a copy and we'll discuss it the next time you're in town. It's right up your Calvinist alley and highly relevant to our last…
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Three Axes of Political Conflict
Substack latest.
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Resuming the “Never-Trump Mentality” Thread
Tom Tillett often leaves very good comments, but he is 'slow on the trigger.' As a result, his contributions often get buried and go unread. I get the impression that he is someone who actually works for a living [grin]. Today he left two long but very good comments on the Never-Trump Mentality post. Here…
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America First!
I explain what it means over at Substack. I refute the fragile Kristol and articulate what the inarticulate Trump cannot. But to this man of action goes the credit of having put paid to Kristol and others of his pseudo-con ilk as well as to the Bush and Clinton dynasties. Jeb! is toast and Chelsea…
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Is Trump a Threat to Democracy?
He most certainly is if 'democracy,' as per the woke Orwellian switcheroo — to give it a name — refers to plutocracy, rule by the wealthy. The plutocratic elites of the present time, unlike those of yesteryear, are woke open-borders globalists with no commitment to their countries of origin. John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are…