John Locke and the Climate Crisis
The power of “enough and as good” in the age of climate change
Essays
Democracy Belongs on the List
Classical liberalism has sometimes been suspicious of democracy. But it shouldn’t be.
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.
Tribes, Coalitions, Parties
A theory of how political organizations form, cooperate, rise, and decline.
Not So Obvious, Not So Simple
When you hear that good politics is always simple, think twice.
Is It Really Socialism?
Don’t fight over mere words. Understand what’s behind them.
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.
The Ghost in the State
Knowing an individual's will is easy. Knowing the will of a collective is like chasing a ghost in a machine.
A Liberalism of Principle, Not Program
Slavery’s opponents knew how to keep things simple. Today’s liberals should do likewise.
Liberalism in the Age of Weaponized Interdependence
Liberalism must abandon the assumption that, in international trade, cooperation is the mature stage, and conflict the primitive one.
Corrected: Liberal Neutrality and How to Fight For It
Defending liberal political norms doesn’t mean always reaching across the aisle. Sometimes, liberal neutrality means playing hardball.
Liberal Neutrality and How to Fight For It
Defending liberal political norms doesn’t mean always reaching across the aisle. Sometimes, liberal neutrality means playing hardball.
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.
Yours, Mine, or Ours? Liberals Need a Theory of the State
When are state-based solutions the best we can do? It’s tempting to reach hasty conclusions, but technological change means the truth may be a moving target.
Why Liberalism Needs the Family
Liberalism does best when there are strong intermediate institutions between the state and the individual. The family is the oldest of them, and it still has no substitutes.