political philosophy of current events
Americans have long trusted in the durability of their institutions, as if the Constitution itself were a kind of armor. We speak of checks and balances as though they were automatic, forgetting that paper barriers only hold when living citizens Continue reading
The recent momentum to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files has reanimated an unresolved moral dilemma that now lies at the heart of modern American political allegiance. For Trump’s supporters—whether media figures, Republican leaders, or ideological loyalists—this challenge is becoming Continue reading
This essay extends a critical reflection on two philosophical articles written by the late Harry Neumann—* Nihilist Desperation * and * Liberal Education: The Beckmann Retrospective *, published in the *Claremont Review of Books*—and draws on them to reflect on the political malaise currently Continue reading
The philosophical defense of Donald Trump by factions associated with the Claremont Institute and Hillsdale College represents not merely a political miscalculation, but a profound intellectual and moral abdication. It is a betrayal of the very Socratic ethos and the Continue reading
Introduction The problem of tyranny—of a ruler who governs to gratify himself at the expense of justice, community, and truth—has occupied philosophers since antiquity. Leo Strauss’s reading of Xenophon’s *Hiero* in *On Tyranny* foregrounds how the tyrant’s psyche and regime Continue reading
The phenomenon of Donald Trump’s public remarks about his daughter Ivanka—comments that range from admiring her physical beauty to openly stating he would date her if she were not his offspring—demands philosophical scrutiny. This is not merely a matter of Continue reading
Introduction The collapse of republics and the rise of autocracy is a recurring pattern in political history. Ronald Syme’s *The Roman Revolution* offers a profound analysis of how Augustus transformed Rome from a republic into an empire, drawing analogies to Continue reading
These are the top 12 predictions I have for the next four years. Politicization of Law Enforcement and Intelligence Economic and Border Policies Foreign Policy Concerns Domestic Political Climate
Jonathan Last of the Bulwark has recently made a point of suggesting that Americans will support a tyrant so long as he is their tyrant. I doubt this is true. Americans understand intuitively that the power used against others can Continue reading
The fall of Kabul in 2021 after 20 years of war, unleashed a torrent of commentary. A significant amount of which was intellectually dishonest rhetoric about whether the airport evacuation was a failure and whether it would have an adverse effect Continue reading