I used to think that it was better for people, when speaking politically, to avoid talking about their underlying philosophy, to just focus on solutions. This probably stemmed from my belief that most Americans ultimately want similar things – an end to poverty, a more solid footing for our entitlement programs, a good job for […]
When you think about the overall state of the world, are you an optimist or a pessimist? What do you think about where humanity is today? What do you think about where humanity is headed? Below are a few questions about the state of the world we live in; take a moment to think about […]
As we move through the latter stages of this presidential primary campaign, with all its disgusting rhetoric and lack of substance, I have sought respite from the depressing news the campaign brings every day, so I have receded into history in my studies. I am poring through the work of some of our greatest leaders […]
There has long been an interest among Americans in the rationale and intentions of those who helped write our Constitution. This fascination suggests a consensus that certain qualities of the Constitution played a role in setting the United States on its path to prosperity and international influence. This also suggests that there are many who […]
To continue to piece together the puzzle of partisan polarization, I turned to one of the great scholars of behavioral economics, Mancur Olson. Professor Olson’s work, The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities seeks to explain how his theories of collective action in societies can lead to suboptimal outcomes in […]
After reviewing It’s Even Worse Than It Looks, I was ready for some other possible explanations for our polarization problem. As I mentioned at the end of my last post, James Piereson’s Shattered Consensus: The Rise and Decline of America’s Postwar Political Order seemed like it could be an antidote. Although the book is a […]
A few years ago, I was blessed to have picked up a copy of J.M. Roberts’s “A Short History of the World” and my life has never been the same. I had never before conceived of history with such broad strokes — where patterns manifest themselves over hundreds or even thousands of years. It was a true […]
