Josh Herring

Dr. Josh Herring is professor of classical education and humanities at Thales College in Wake Forest, N.C., where he teaches liberal arts courses and directs the Certificate in Classical Education Philosophy program. He also hosts The Optimistic Curmudgeon podcast and tweets @TheOptimisticC3.

Posts by Josh Herring

April 30, 2025

Feminists Against the Sexual Revolution

Late modernity has inherited a revolutionary spirit, and sex is the easiest place to see that spirit and its costs. The harms of the Sexual Revolution are rampant: Dating culture has collapsed; hookup culture is unsatisfying; the decline in marriage and birth rates have become a rallying cry for policymakers and conservatives alike. Continue Reading...
September 24, 2024

Put Children First

Civilization transmits culture from one generation to the next, and so must be concerned with children. Education, law, the peaceful transfer of power—these civilizational elements developed over the centuries to foster the creation of children and create the space for them to grow into their inheritance. Continue Reading...
May 15, 2024

Russell Kirk’s Moral Imagination

The publication of Camilo Peralta’s The Wizard of Mecosta: Russell Kirk, Gothic Fiction, and the Moral Imagination by Vernon Press is an exciting development. Peralta is part of a rising generation of scholars and completed his doctoral work at Faulkner University and spent time at Piety Hill as both a Russell Kirk seminar attendee and a research fellow in the Kirk Center’s Wilbur Fellow program. Continue Reading...
February 29, 2024

Raise Your Own Damn Kids

Abigail Shrier’s Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up is not really about therapy. Instead, it’s about parents who let competitors for their authority usurp their role in raising their children and the harm such people can cause. Continue Reading...
January 17, 2024

Inhumane Letters and the Joy of Violence

Babel: Or The Necessity of Violence, An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators Revolution is a pernicious novel showcasing the ability of literature to make evil appear good. Evaluating Babel requires considering the purpose of literature; how can a novel be technically excellent, yet fail to achieve literature’s high calling? Continue Reading...
December 01, 2023

Put Down the Phone and Pick up the Psalms

Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age makes a compelling argument. Its author, Samuel James, asks readers to consider how long it’s been since they’ve checked a phone for notifications, or whether they’re in the habit of checking email while talking with people in person—or checking texts while driving. Continue Reading...