The People are Not One - Book Review
Tutt and Varn offer a useful and critical intervention in our current political situation
Sam’s Substack
My personal Substack
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A realist theory of decadence among the elite
Decadence has too long been the conceptual domain of rightwing culture warriors. We need a serious theory of elite decadence
Centrist Democrat's feckless war with the DSA
The DSA has its flaws, but the centrist Democrat offensive against them is doomed by its own lack of self-awareness
Alienation - more than just a feelin'
Some think alienation is merely the subjective experience of capitalist exploitation, yet the reality is alienation exists whether one feels it or not
How anti-culture war politics becomes culture war politics
The painful culture wars continue to plague our politics, distracting people from the real issues of housing unaffordability, rampant health care inflation, forever wars, imperialism, ecological crises, and an economy worryingly dependent on building countless data centers.
Silly season and Argentina
Argentina's national team made themselves the heel of the world cup, but lets avoid simplistic narratives about its complex history
How utilitarianism in education policy is ultimately self-defeating
Pursuing educational metrics to achieve the instrumental ends of a "skilled workforce" undermines intrinsic motivation and the love of learning for its own sake.
Motivated reasoning and the case of Platner
As a non-Maine resident with relatives in the state, leftwing views, and an interest in politics, I followed the rise and apparent fall of Platner with the non-committal semi-closeness you’d expect (if not for the constant national coverage of it all).
The US at 250
The good, the bad, and the ugly of our constitutional order and its liberal tradition
On matters of war and peace, don't pay too much heed to the ideological commentariat
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli war in Gaza and the subsequent escalations, blowbacks, and contagions has fueled the timeless industry of the ideological commentariat.