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Remembering the Real Revolution of July 4

The words are engrained in our national consciousness: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Continue Reading...

The Perennial Temptation: To Be as Gods

In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis suggests that technology functions as a bait-and-switch: Users think they’re getting power, but they’re actually giving up their freedom. “What we call Man’s power is, in reality, a power possessed by some men which they may, or may not, allow other men to profit by.” Continue Reading...

A Telltale Heart in Ukraine

There is blood seeping from under an otherwise ordinary shed door in the city. This possible sign of a crime sets in motion the plot of The Stolen Heart, Andrey Kurkov’s second installment in the delightful series of Kyiv mysteries, set nearly 100 years ago and following the low-brow exploits of a young policeman, Samson Kolechko (“The Ring”). Continue Reading...

What Is a Conservative Novel?

Christopher J. Scalia’s 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (But Probably Haven’t Read) is a good primer, but I would not recommend it to anyone who can identify Hemingway and Henry James by their styles. Continue Reading...

Public Money, Private Ideas: The Dilemma of Universities Today

The recent suspension of federal funding by the Trump administration to institutions such as Harvard and Columbia forces us to confront a fundamental contradiction: We value academic independence, yet expect that independence to be financed by taxpayers who may strongly oppose the ideas being promoted within these universities. Continue Reading...

The Enduring Value of Weber’s Protestant Ethic

Max Weber published two essays in 1904 and 1905 in the Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik that became one of the most famous books in 20th-century social science: Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismusor The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (hereafter referenced as PE). Continue Reading...

An Economist’s Summer Reading List

It’s that time of year again! Longer, warmer days hopefully bring a little more downtime for summer reading. Whether you’re reading them in a hammock or at poolside, these books are exciting and relevant and will keep your mind engaged during the dog days of summer. Continue Reading...