Has favorites — 12 sources in 90 days
Also a writer — 1 original piece this quarter
A valuable piece on political violence to refer back to. Not that I want reasons to.
The Assassin’s Delusion
Violence serves an authoritarian agenda.
theatlantic.com
This is very good. Not, you know, uplifting. But very good.
The Age of No Innocence
What if all you knew was extremist politics? Welcome to being young in America.
thewesternedge.media
Reading this 2018 article as I try to wrap my head around Callais.
The Supreme Court Is Headed Back to the 19th Century
The justices again appear poised to pursue a purely theoretical liberty at the expense of the lives of people of color.
theatlantic.com
Jacob Levy pulverizing the idea that liberals can't fight back because they're prevented by commitments to neutrality or civility, apparently with a baseball bat.
Liberal Neutrality and How to Fight For It
Defending liberal political norms doesn’t mean always reaching across the aisle. Sometimes, liberal neutrality means playing hardball.
liberalism.org
A very uncomfortable subject for those of us who have struggled with eating disorders. I think this is a realistic take. (the answer is "no" but still depressing.) Additional note: I am pessimistic libertarians writ large will take the body autonomy position here, at least in the short run. The libertarian movement provided tons of reinforcement for my disordered eating. (no sugar! no breakfast! no seed oils! one meal a day! etc)
Will Obesity Be Legal After Ozempic?
A provocation
open.substack.com
Part 2 of the piece I posted a few days ago. If you don't know this stuff, you will absolutely talk past people who disagree. (If you're the kind of person who gets into "Were the Nazis socialist?" conversations.)
How Socialist were the National Socialists? Part 2
The Nazi Economy
open.substack.com
I really hope freedom of navigation isn't a historical thing my kids learn about in school.
After Hormuz, Southeast Asia Sees the Potential Value of Tolling the Strait of Malacca | Council on Foreign Relations
Joshua Kurlantzick is senior fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. Iran has suffered enormous infrastructure damage since the start of the war in late February, yet the country remains resilient. As I noted in a prior article, the regime’s survival has been due in part to assistance from […]
cfr.org
Sarah Skwire on political theory, alliances, power, and also dragons.
The Enemy of My Enemy Is a Really Big Dragon
When political theory meets horror, do not call up that which you cannot put down. Sarah Skwire discusses Joe Hill's novel King Sorrow, "a deliciously gory and smart bit of horror" that also brings lessons about the enemy of your enemy.
liberalism.org
As advertised.
How Socialist were the National Socialists? Part 1
An Endless "Debate"
unpopularfront.news
Long and worthwhile, especially worthwhile if you spend time thinking about academia.
Political Science In the Polycrisis
My keynote talk to an online APSA conference
musgrave.substack.com
This is also excellent, and the kind of thinking we'll need for libertarianism to remain a coherent concept given *waves hands* all this.
The Myth of Libertarianism
Tribe first, theory later
bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com
A recent Liberalism.org post from the OG bleeding heart libertarian Matt Zwolinski. Very happy to see libertarians reckoning with the problems of power that come with severe wealth inequality.
The Power of Wealth
In every political system, wealthy and powerful people will try to write the rules to favor themselves. Liberal democracies should use a range of policy tools to resist elite capture.
liberalism.org
I wake up every day and check the headlines in case someone's been nuked because Trump has a tantrum overnight. I'm sure this is taking a toll, but I don't see the grown-ups in the room with the big red button to make it feel less likely. It's the never ending stupid Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Stupid Cuban Missile Crisis
Donald Trump is unfit for office. He might do genocide before Congress recognizes that.
bugeyedandshameless.com
I have been thinking back on this piece about writing lately. "Writing is about being in touch with your feelings. At the absolute core of it, it is about feeling something yourself, realising others may do too, and basing your work around that moment. It's about having confidence in your feelings and the manner in which they might be shared. It's a process that is conducted entirely on your own, but which demonstrates the extent of your bonds with those around you."
How to write
Everything is interesting. Absolutely everything.
open.substack.com
This piece by Kevin J. Elliott is also a good one to read with my article from Thursday.
If Liberals Get Tougher, What Will They Become?
If American liberals deploy aggressive tactics against the right, will they lose what makes them good?
liberalism.org
Sarah Skwire's first piece at Liberalism.org is, along with mine and Munger's (posted earlier), in conversation in a way I didn't anticipate.
Mini Tacos, Murder, and the Problem of Getting Exactly What We Want
When personalization is king and optimization is everywhere, fiction has lessons about where to stop.
liberalism.org
This piece at Liberalism.org and another one I'll post shortly strike me as good companions to my first entry from a few days ago.
Yours, Mine, or Ours? Liberals Need a Theory of the State
Economist Michael Munger outlines how public goods may be provided with little or no state involvement. Private road associations are viable, and better tolling technology lessens the need for state action. That's true of many other technologies, making efficient government a moving target.
liberalism.org
I make my debut at Liberalism.org, arguing that liberal principles don't to have to be separated from politics for liberalism to defend itself and thrive. In fact, they shouldn't be. Principled liberal commitments have to be paired with commitment to liberal—persuasive, democratic—politics.
The Liberal Spirit of System
The “man of system” is a famous figure in the work of Adam Smith, and not in a good way. And yet we all think in systems. They can be both beautiful and helpful. What gives?
liberalism.org
It's not as though we don't know, with big deal pundits speculating aloud about things like the virginity status of women public figures, how we're talked about behind closed doors. It's still demoralizing to see it.
I studied the latest Epstein files. As a woman, this is what I felt
They show a hidden world oiled by porn-saturated misogyny. I spent two days reading them
thetimes.com
Previously the earliest evidence was from 50,000 years ago, so another 350,000 is a big jump. The fact that it's also evidence of moving minerals over long distances and *baking clay?!* adds to the wildness.
Humans made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, discovery in Suffolk suggests
Groundbreaking find makes compelling case that humans were lighting fires much earlier than originally believed
theguardian.com
This article about how easily accessible metrics is creating problems for the music industry is much more broadly relevant. The conviction that if you can measure it, it must be what matters has been a problem for anyone trying to build anything real for years.
1 Million Monthly Listeners. 12 Tickets Sold. Here's The Scam.
Why the industry keeps mistaking algorithmic reach for real fans.
open.substack.com
"Moderation is more conventional than wise, and the most prominent cases for it badly misunderstand how politics works." On the spent relevance of moderation and popularism in today's politics.
How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism
Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated.
bostonreview.net
This piece brings together Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland in a useful way when it's so easy to go down an isolated rabbit hole about any one of them.
"Read the Donroe Doctrine To Them"
The thing about hegemony is that it, unfortunately, works. And it crushes real democracy along the way.
open.substack.com
Essential reading from the ground in Minneapolis. An overwhelming mix of fear at what is happening and appreciation for how ordinary people are responding.
So, How’s the Occupation Going for You?
What’s it like to live in America with a domestic military occupation? Minnesota has the answer.
liberalcurrents.com
I'd never seen this essay before and enjoyed reading it as a clear exploration of the limits of civil discourse. I struggle with where to set that limit. Setting it should involve the belief that giving up on persuasion is always regrettable. But no one sets the limit for everyone. We can use our personal lines in the sand. It's as wrongheaded to insist that's never acceptable as it is to insist we don't give up anything when we conclude some politics have left the realm of peaceful persuasion.
Fascism is Not an Idea to Be Debated, It’s a Set of Actions to Fight
Back when I was in high school in Sarajevo, my best friend was Zoka. We listened to the same bands, went to the same rock shows, found the same stupid things hilarious, played soccer together, skie…
lithub.com
Is this the most devastating shade of the year? Probably. Is it also an excellent book review? Yes.
Are We Prometheans? "The Permanent Problem," Reviewed
The future requires a vision of gender that is not some reskinned picket-fence fantasy, but a true human ideal.
liberalcurrents.com
This review of Bronze Age Mindset hits just the right tone. Kuznicki is clear that this is a stupid book for people we should be able to pity. He is also clear that this is a dangerous book, influential in the halls of power. And he reminds us that we already have the tools to fight these ideas—ideas that have won before and can win again.
Reviewer Judge Words In Book: Bronze Age Mindset, reviewed
We can be more and better than conquerors and thieves.
liberalcurrents.com
This is so good. On the historical and economic inadequacy of the postliberal "Great Feminization" narrative, and a more robust (and positive) liberal alternative.
No Sweetheart, Favoritism Isn't Driving ‘The Great Feminization’, Modernity Is
And it’s a good thing for women and the world, contrary to claims of the neo-right’s new darling
open.substack.com
I love this very much. The forgotten of history and the liberals of today, against the fictions of homogeneity and nationalism and the social contract.
They Were All Our Ancestors
Nationalism chooses sides in the most awful family drama of all time. It sides with the evildoers, and never with their victims, and teaches you to do the same.
liberalcurrents.com
The narrative that the danger of social media comes from envy doesn't ring true to me. But this piece does—it's fear. Fear makes us uncertain, angry, and closed off to risk. And it's bled into our offline lives. Recognizing that gives us the power to short circuit it. Typically great stuff from Ling.
The Eye That Never Sleeps
Social media is making us afraid and anti-social. What if that's the point?
open.substack.com
This is typically terrific stuff at Liberal Currents, and a good articulation of something many liberals struggle to express. (They're crowdfunding right now and worth your support. See the link at the top of the page.)
Liberalism's Positive Vision Must Be the Open Society
Liberalism is not just the mitigation of dangers. It is also an active striving towards a world that is truly free.
liberalcurrents.com
I'm fond of this article from Econlog about the importance of reciprocity. The warning at the end about how partisanship can undermine reciprocity has stuck with me. We need to be thoughtful about what we prioritize and when.
Tit-for-Tat in Politics - Econlib
Cooperation is both the most fragile and the most necessary condition of political life. It is fragile because individuals and groups often pursue short-term gains at others’ expense, yet it is essential because no political community endures without mutual accommodation and understanding. Politics, as Aristotle taught, is the art of living together—not the sum of […]
econlib.org
A good overview of an LLM browser in the context of the challenges we're facing with LLMs, and with the web generally.
anildash.com
I've been thinking about this for days. Thoughtful and timely on political coalitions and history.
A Popular Front of Memory
As the right begins to revise their view of Hitler, we must revive the example Churchill set in that era.
liberalcurrents.com
This is lovely, and touches on some benefits of long standing freedom from tyranny that are so easy to take for granted.
Tracing my buried bloodlines
With the war, genealogy has become popular among Ukrainians as a way to reclaim their historical heritage. Mariana travels to her home region to find lost family roots.
counteroffensive.news
Posting three things I've been thinking about together today. (3/3)
Liberals Cannot Stop Authoritarianism by Compromising With It
They should heed Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza's warning at LibCon2025 to not fall for the false narratives that authoritarians use to consolidate power
open.substack.com
Posting three things I've been thinking about together today. (2/3)
vox.com
Posting three things I've been thinking about together today. (1/3)
The Death (and Rebirth?) of the Ideas Business
The decline of the magazine has impoverished our ability to think about our world
discoursemagazine.com
A helpful overview of how the UK government plans to curtail trans rights that also serves as an explainer about the erosion of parliamentary democracy in the UK—to the point that the government can curtail minority rights by ministerial decree.
The trans rights stitch-up
How government plans to silence debate on the new rules
open.substack.com
This review of Abundance by Samantha Hancox-Li at The UnPopulist is terrific because it talks about the difference in strategy taken by Klein and Thompson vs other abundance-adjacent books, and because it expresses my frustration at the ways they've made things harder on themselves while spreading a good message.
'Abundance’ Offers a Sounder Way Forward for the Left than Degrowth or Redistributive Progressivism
But the authors of this important book might have been more effective had they chosen a less confrontational strategy with their own side
open.substack.com
Some thoughts from Justin Ling about what it means when governments enact policies that used to be reserved for extremists. CW: The (officially provided) photo of CECOT haunts me.
Welcome to Post-Extremism
When the state goes radical, the radicals become paramilitary
open.substack.com
This piece didn't get enough love at Econlog.
Voice, Exit, and Cheerleaders - Econlib
The newest season of the Netflix documentary America’s Sweethearts, which traces the 2024 audition, training, and performance season of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, is a lot more than just a pretty face. The philosopher Loren Lomasky has argued persuasively in Persons, Rights, and the Moral Community that one of the things that makes humans human […]
econlib.org
Apparently I did not share my condemnation of libertarian utopianism in practice. At The Reading Room, I use Isabel Paterson to show why failing to update abstract libertarian arguments for reality, or even failure to just apply libertarian standards to libertarian arguments, can lead libertarians to exactly the spot Paterson sees her opponents heading.
The Libertarian With the Guillotine | Online Library of Liberty
Isabel Paterson's argument against government charity hasn't held up, but it still offers important lessons about liberal, and libertarian, politics.
oll.libertyfund.org
I can't believe I haven't seen this—which seems like important reporting—everywhere. Deserves a boost.
FEMA response to deadly Texas floods delayed & deficient with Noem in charge
"If this is how they are going to do a major hurricane response, people are f*cked.”
thehandbasket.co
At liberal currents, I reject the idea that the government can be in charge of creating a certain sort of people. That means that liberals have to take charge of being, and teaching and persuading into existence, the *liberal* values, morality, and ideas that can support liberalism. And fusionism is a trap: liberals are not simply living or defending conservative, socialist, or any other values and virtues under a liberal institutions.
Liberalism Needs Liberals
It is precisely because liberalism cannot take sides that liberals must.
liberalcurrents.com
We lost my friend Steve four years ago today. So much of what I do now is try to carry on where he left off.
Liberalism in the Balance - Bleeding Heart Libertarians
What the new president has done in his first few days in office has hardly been surprising, even as it’s profoundly horrific. What has surprised me is the reaction by...
bleedingheartlibertarians.com
This terrific piece was for paid subscribers until The Walrus republished it. (Unfortunately, they didn't keep the original headline, The Summit at the End of the World.)
The G7 Summit Was Really about One Man | The Walrus
Trump didn’t just dominate the room. He warped the tone, the agenda, and the very idea of global co-operation
thewalrus.ca
The piece I just posted, from Blanks, strikes me as a good companion piece for this one yesterday, by Dara Lind.
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Terrific stuff from Jonathan Blanks.
What Loving Liberty Means | Online Library of Liberty
oll.libertyfund.org
Expert rules are not insulated from, but shaped by democratic power. That means responsible democratic power cannot simply defer to expertise. This piece usefully shows why we don't need to abandon democracy or expertise to get positive change.
How the Anglosphere's Planning Department is YIMBYism’s Main Obstacle
Montreal doesn't have these problems! Francophones beat us on this one.
open.substack.com
