On the Loss of “Authenticity”
One of the recurring themes in the philosophical critique of Western society is the claim that modern people are losing their authenticity. We are said to be cut off from…
Genius and Nonsense
One of the most common rhetorical moves of our age is to point out how many top scientists supposedly believe in various forms of spiritual mysticism, cosmic consciousness, or fashionable…
The Tyranny of Borrowed Illusions
One of the ways the center maintains control over the periphery is by imposing its worldview. Sometimes this happens when the official doctrines of the metropolis are faithfully adopted by…
Virgin Politics
We often hear that the instrumentalization of children is a hallmark of totalitarian regimes. That is not entirely wrong—but it is not quite right either. Yes, totalitarian systems frequently deploy…
No Strategy for Prosperity
Stealing is not a path to prosperity,” my favorite anti-Trump commentator, Matthew Yglesias, wrote in response to talk of an attack on Venezuela. On that point, he is right. In…
Centralized Power and the Myth of Freedom
Modern states, in the sense we use the term today, did not truly emerge in Europe until the seventeenth century. Before that, a king might have been sovereign in theory,…