Jonathan Rauch on responding to the crisis of liberalism
Liberal values and institutions now face aggressive challenges from both right and left extremism, so how should defenders of the embattled liberal center respond?
The Permanent Problem
the quest to "live wisely and agreeably and well"
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Virginia Postrel on everyday ambition, everyday abundance
Virginia Postrel has made a career out of seeing the extraordinary in the everyday — from the growing importance of “look and feel” in the products we buy, to the power of glamour to arouse our sense of longing, to tracing the history of humanity through its production and use of textiles.
Phil Levin on living near friends and family
America is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness: marriage and birth rates, the number of close friendships, time spent with friends, and community involvement more broadly are all in decline.
Adrian Wooldridge on liberalism's cycles of crisis and renewal
In the heady days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many imagined that we had arrived at the “end of history” now that liberal democratic capitalism had chased all ideological competitors from the field.
The limits of liberal neutrality
My essay “The progress movement needs a better theory of progress” provoked some interesting pushback from Geoffrey Manne, president of the free-market-oriented International Center for Law & Economics. Manne and I have known each other for many years and have always been on friendly terms, and he politely prefaces his criticisms with a nod to his admiration for my larger body of work.
The permanent problem in a nutshell
If you follow celebrity news at all, you know that the man-bites-dog stories are the ones about stars who never let fame go to their heads.
Ryan Avent on the power of faith and culture
All of the blessings of modernity, Ryan Avent argues in a fascinating new book, rest on faith.
Jack Lindsey on AI "psychology"
Any attempt to anticipate how social change will unfold in the coming years has to confront a major unknown: how much better is artificial intelligence going to get, and how quickly?
The progress movement needs a better theory of progress
For as long as I can remember, I have been an enthusiastic believer in and supporter of human progress.
Andrew McAfee on the future of innovation
After years of disappointing productivity growth, are we about to experience an AI-powered breakout?
Laura Field on the MAGA intellectuals
In this episode of The Permanent Problem podcast, Laura Field joins host me to discuss both of our new books.
Damon Linker on defending liberalism (and how not to)
On this episode of The Permanent Problem podcast, I’m happy to welcome Damon Linker, author of the “Notes from the Middleground” Substack and a Niskanen Center senior fellow, to discuss the challenge of right-wing populism and how liberals should respond to it.
Superhuman AI would bring the permanent problem front and center
Before diving into the essay that the headline promises, let me first share a few book-related links.
Links and some thoughts about early critics
I got back to Thailand at the end of last week after a three-week trip to the U.S., with two of those weeks spent in Washington, D.C.
Assorted links and comments
Happy New Year, everybody!
The book is out!
Christmas came early to the Lindsey household this year, as a box of hot-off-the-press copies of The Permanent Problem arrived over the weekend.
Back to the Future
"Free Labor" and Life after Mass Employment
Abundance of what? Abundance for what?
The past year has shown that the concept of “abundance” has legs.
My book is now available to pre-order
I’m happy to announce that everything is set for my book’s official release on January 5, 2026.
The rise and fall of cognitive fitness
My essay a while back about America’s descent into post-literacy got a fair amount of attention, at least by my standards, so I thought I’d follow up by trying to put this phenomenon into broader historical context.