Reading books and modernity
“Reading is not modern,” declares a catchy promotional slogan—if I recall correctly, from the Czech site for conservative philosophy Delian Diver. The message is obvious: we read books because we…
The Training Europe Refuses to Take
We once again live in a world of armed conflicts, and we would be foolish to assume that these storms will never reach us. It makes sense, then, to seek…
The Hidden Cost of Compassion
Pursuing better public services and a firmer social safety net is sensible — but with important reservations. Badly designed social programs can wreak havoc on the very lives they are…
The pretention of economics
A young man recently posed a question during a seminar on rational inquiry: How do we distinguish between a mistaken opinion and one that is not mistaken? For context, recall…
On the Meaning and Value of the Left
When discussing the meaning and value of the political Left, we should start by being honest about what people actually need. They do not need a more “just” distribution of…
Promise without foundation
Donald Trump’s program to rebuild American industry is ambitious, yet its results so far remain modest. That should not surprise anyone: you cannot rebuild a nation’s productive base in a…