R. R. Reno

Enthusiasts of St. Thomas should know about the ambitious publication project being undertaken by the Aquinas Institute at Wyoming Catholic College. It’s very good indeed to see that the Institute is launching Latin and English editions of the works of the Angelic Doctor. . . . . Continue Reading »

Well, well, there’s tolerance, and then there’s tolerance. A recent interview of Martha Nussbaum in the Boston Review shows what at least one pillar of our liberal establishment has in mind when it comes to Catholicism. The interview by Boston Review Web Editor David V. Johnson was . . . . Continue Reading »

I’ve been on a T. S. Eliot kick of late. Last week I reread The Idea of a Christian Society , and for the first time read through Eliot’s elusive  After Strange Gods , a volume he never allowed to be reprinted (but which is of course available on Google books ). I have always . . . . Continue Reading »

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the spreading efforts to combat obesity by reducing the consumption of sugary drinks. The Richmond, California City Council put a measure on the November ballot that taxes businesses on the basis of how much Coke and Pepsi they sell. Although the . . . . Continue Reading »

I recently had a very interesting conversation with Wheaton art historian and First Things writer Mathew Milliner. Matt has been trying to think about how to understand artistic creativity in relation to cultural authority. T.S. Eliot is an obvious place to start. His famous essay, “Tradition . . . . Continue Reading »

Mark Anthony Signorelli and Nikos Salingaros are nothing if not clear and forceful: artistic modernism is a anti-tradition of anti-art oriented toward domination rather than beauty. Here is a particularly trenchant set of observations about architectural modernism from ” The Tyranny of . . . . Continue Reading »

In the August/September issue of First Things, I wrote briefly about New York’s Nanny-in-chief, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and his proposal to regulate the size of sugary drinks for sale in Gotham. Many commentators chortled. I’ve found myself thinking his efforts serious, and a sign of our times. Our neo-bourgeois elites feel the need to impose their order on the lower classes… . Continue Reading »

The ever useful Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a new survey . The focus falls on attitudes toward the recent push by the Catholic Bishops to highlight the threats posed to religious liberty. Results aren’t too surprising. If you’re a Catholic and have heard about the . . . . Continue Reading »

The Public . . . . Continue Reading »

The Catholic World Report has posted a wide-ranging interview with New Criterion editor Roger Kimball. Kimball’s new book, The Fortunes of Permanence , collects his recent essays of literary, artistic, and cultural criticism. This interview reflects quite well what I’d call . . . . Continue Reading »