occasional reflections on culture & politics
Democracy is a participatory activity. While not everyone can (or should) run for office, being a good citizen extends to much more than engaging in the business of politics. It begins with embracing the dignity of being the sovereign – or, more clearly, part of the group that constitutes the sovereign – and recognizing that… Continue reading #66: Democracy Needs Well-Educated Citizens
This seems to be the age of conspiracy theories. What is a conspiracy theory? It is the belief that specific, if not all, major problems in the world are caused by a conspiracy of powerful people that secretly pull the strings behind your back. A select few have allegedly seen through this scheme, and are… Continue reading #24: Conspiracy Thinking is Not Critical Thinking
There seems to be a notion out there that there are different stages of being left-wing or progressive. This goes back, of course, to Hegelian ideas about the Spirit of History, the End of History, and stages of development, which, in some way, were given a materialist spin by Marxism. Anybody who believes that somehow,… Continue reading #18: What’s Left: Communism, Socialism, Progressivism, Social Democracy, and the Value of Dissent
We can only win - in the long run - by setting a better example. We cannot aim to play the game the enemy is playing, we cannot criticize or condemn criminal behavior and then behave the same way, or in a way that can be seen the same whether we like it or not.… Continue reading #4: How We Win
erratic attempts 