The Dark Side of Jane Austen
by Mark Bauerleinfirst things senior editor Julia Yost joins in to discuss her new book, Jane Austen's Darkness. Continue Reading »
Suicide Pods and the Trivialization of Death
by Carl R. TruemanThe suicide pod has the smooth aesthetics of the Apple age. It presents death as an attractive, consumer option. Continue Reading »
Music in an Age of Decadence
by Mark BauerleinMark Evans joins in to discuss his new book, Mark! My Words: How to Discover the Joy of Music, the Delight of Language, and the Pride of Achievement in the Age of Trash Talk and Cultural Chaos. Continue Reading »
The Myth of Technological Neutrality
by Michael ToscanoThe status of crank is rarely remitted in the span of ten years, but that is what has happened to me. I spent two decades, from 1999 to 2019, in New York City, where I watched social media and smartphones change the early adopters. My reading of Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan convinced me that . . . . Continue Reading »
The Screwtape Election
by Liel LeibovitzHow to make sense of the upcoming presidential election? Those of us reared on reason, logic, and basic human decency find ourselves a bit befuddled these days, trying to make sense of what is rapidly devolving into a Grand Guignol of political, moral, and cultural horrors. As if the elevation of an . . . . Continue Reading »
Constructing Conservatism
by Oren CassConservatives rightly recognize that the common good, and thus a coherent politics, requires a shared definition of virtue derived from a shared moral vision and set of values, which in turn must reflect the traditions and character of the nation and its culture. To support human flourishing, that . . . . Continue Reading »
Clint Eastwood’s Law
by Matthew SchmitzIn the course of his seven-decade career, Clint Eastwood has come to be identified with a single striking proposition. Appearing as a hard-bitten detective, a nondescript pilot, or an aging boxing coach, he advances the claim that upholding a system—legal, mechanical, moral—will . . . . Continue Reading »
Machine
by Ephraim RadnerThe American modernist poet E. E. Cummings ended up as a somewhat lonely, politically conservative Unitarian. It happens. He wrote some glittering verses glorying in the natural world and its colored wonders, and would jot down religious thoughts here and there. “May i be i is the only prayer,” . . . . Continue Reading »
Fellow Travelers
by R. R. RenoChristianity is cropping up in unexpected places. This summer, Jordan Peterson chatted with Elon Musk. In his inimitable way, Peterson digressed into the long-dead religions of Mesopotamia, tying ancient wisdom to brain science. Musk responded with thoughtful comments about the meaning of life. The . . . . Continue Reading »
Guerrilla Culture War
by John DugganAbout halfway through Frank Furedi’s The War Against the Past, the reader is presented with a selection of words deemed unacceptable by the Local Government Association of England in its Inclusive Language Guide. The words include mum, dad, homeless, second . . . . Continue Reading »
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