“Conservatism,” wrote Russell Kirk, “is the negation of ideology.” Kirk’s tradition rejects ideology, because “[t]he ideologues who promise the perfection of man and society have converted a great part of the twentieth-century world into a terrestrial hell.” Continue Reading...
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July 01, 2019
A modest, utopian proposal for the border crisis: commerce
The Democrats had their first presidential primary debate last week, and immigration was a central focus both nights. Poor conditions of refugees and others detained crossing the southern border have been in the news all year. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Corruption’s consequences
Walmart agreed last month to a $282 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, resolving charges of bribing foreign officials. While company leadership committed themselves to “acting ethically everywhere we operate,” reports indicate that Walmart allowed third parties in China, Mexico, India, and Brazil to make payments to government officials. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Is social media the source of our social problems?
The British economist John Kay made a powerful argument in his 2011 book Obliquity: Why our goals are best achieved indirectly that the best way to achieve any complex of broadly defined goal is indirectly through a gradual process of risk taking and discovery. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
The ghosts in Xi Jinping’s China Dream
Early on in Ma Jian’s new novel the main character has a vision: I saw elderly men and women smashing rocks against the ground under the steely gaze of teenage Red Guards. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
A ‘predictable’ story of religion and business
We are in the midst of a surge of academic interest in the historical relationship between religion and business in America. Notable recent studies include those by Timothy Gloege, Darren Grem, Sarah Ruth Hammond, and Amanda Porterfield. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
State Department releases 2019 Trafficking in Persons report
July 01, 2019
Review: The Edge of Democracy
The documentary The Edge of Democracy is a personal memoir about the recent political scenario in Brazil. Released on June 19 on Netflix, it is directed by Petra Costa — a Brazilian filmmaker and actress who has close connections with leftist politicians. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019
Letter from Rome: American vs. European Nationalism
Last month’s Sohrab Ahmari-David French debate was the more recent skirmish about the meaning of American conservatism. Acton’s Joe Carter has helpfully compiled a reading list without appearing to favor one side over the other. Continue Reading...
June 28, 2019
What Willmoore Kendall can teach us about America
Willmoore Kendall defied the norms of many mainstream intellectual movements. Those who knew him recall a “typical strangeness” that characterized the man and his works. He was a solitary figure who has been largely forgotten in today’s conservative conversations. Continue Reading...
