Who Reads? AI, Authorship, and the Collective Conversation
Writing just got a whole lot easier, but reading didn’t. Here’s what comes next.
Tag
Liberal Culture & Sensibility
18 essays
Essays
How to Change: Your Mindset and Our Country
It is necessary to consider separately these two hypotheses, each of which has a distinct branch of the argument corresponding to it.
Liberalism and Civilization
In defense of a word. And a worldview.
Jefferson’s Liberal Morals
The Moral Sense Can Always Err. That’s Why It Must Be Exercised.
Bite by Bite: The Value of Virtue Signaling
Don’t discount the effectiveness of a cheap signal.
The Hard-Won Lessons of Cold War Liberalism
Twentieth-century liberal intellectuals stood firm against the totalizing ideologies of left and right. Their insights remain valuable today.
Not So Obvious, Not So Simple
When you hear that good politics is always simple, think twice.
Liberal Toleration and Ordinary Vices
Hypocrisy, snobbery, betrayal, and misanthropy are everywhere. Here’s what to do about it.
Contact as Cure: What the Research on Travel Actually Shows
Visiting World Cup fans won’t be surprised to learn that travel broadens the mind.
Philip Freneau: The Poet We Need Right Now
Nations always tell stories about themselves. Philip Freneau’s “The Rising Glory of America“ tells an especially timely one.
A Liberalism of Principle, Not Program
Slavery’s opponents knew how to keep things simple. Today’s liberals should do likewise.
“Sit Down, Theodore!” Slang and Spontaneous Order
Slang words come and go; the language lives on.
Liberalism and Christianity in the Age of Social Media
The liberal Christianity of the American founding came from authentic, in-person faith communities. Can it survive in a time of influencers and vertical video?
The Enemy of My Enemy Is a Really Big Dragon
When political theory meets horror, do not call up that which you cannot put down.
The Liberal Spirit of System
The “man of system” is a famous figure in the work of Adam Smith, and not in a good way. And yet we all think in systems. They can be both beautiful and helpful. What gives?
Sitcoms: A Defense
Liberalism is in crisis. How about some television?
One Panic After Another
What holds up society? Equilibria. If you think that the sky is about to fall, you should ask why it hasn’t happened already.
If Liberals Get Tougher, What Will They Become?
If American liberals deploy aggressive tactics against the right, will they lose what makes them good?