The New Divide in American Politics
by Mark MovsesianAmericans have never had European-style religious and non-religious parties, but that may be changing. Continue Reading »
We Renounce the Old World
by Charles J. ChaputJames Nolan's What they Saw in America considers four foreigners' perspectives on the United States: Tocqueville, Max Weber, Chesterton, and Sayyid Qutb. Continue Reading »
Liturgy of Liberalism
by Adrian VermeuleThe Demon in Democracy: Totalitarian Temptations in Free Societiesby ryszard legutko encounter, 200 pages, $23.99 In The Old Regime and the Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville described the French Revolution as a religious movement: The ideal the French Revolution set before it was not merely a change . . . . Continue Reading »
Tocqueville in the Gutter
by Helen AndrewsThe Art of Being Free: How Alexis de Tocqueville Can Save Us from Ourselvesby james poulosst martin’s, 304 pages, $26.99Alexis de Tocqueville was sensitive about his height, a mere 5 feet 4 inches, but it would have made him feel a giant to see some of the midgets who have followed after him. No . . . . Continue Reading »
Civil Righteousness and the Gospel in the American Church
by James R. RogersIt’s one thing for the American political regime to value Christian churches because they help supply the moral requisites for sustaining the regime; for churches themselves to conceive of their purpose in this way is quite another thing. Continue Reading »
Adam Smith on Society’s Exploitation of the Rich
by James R. RogersDonald Trump ascribing responsibility for his first two failed marriages to working “like, twenty-two hours a day” brought to mind Adam Smith’s invocation of the “invisible hand” in his 1759 work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. There, the invisible hand is not quite the same general . . . . Continue Reading »
Rights Talk, Majority Tyranny, and the Harms We “See”
by James R. RogersContinuing arguments over gun rights and violence brought to mind Tocqueville’s observation that he knew “no country where there prevails, in general, less independence of mind and less true freedom of discussion than in America.” This, for Tocqueville, occurred because “In America, the . . . . Continue Reading »
Notable Books I Read in 2012, pt. 3
by Carl ScottHere’s the third and final part of what I began with this 12-book-list . I knew my description of Mishra’s book would be the longest, which is why I changed order to treat it last. Second part here . 8) Alexis de Tocqueville, Letters from America , edited by Frederick Brown. You know . . . . Continue Reading »
Carl’s Rock Songbook #69: THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, Pt. 2
by Carl Scott. . . one can change human institutions, but not man; whatever the general effort of a society to render citizens equal and alike, the particular pride of individuals will always seek to escape the [common] level . . . In aristocracies, men are separated from one another by high, immovable . . . . Continue Reading »
Carl’s Rock Songbook #52: Rock Recycle-ment Explained
by Carl ScottThis is the conclusion of the long series of Songbook posts kicked off by my simple observation that many bands championed as representative of new music , such as Crystal Castles, really aren’t . While many themes have been touched upon, overall, Songbook posts #36-51 have been about 1) . . . . Continue Reading »
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