My fascism problem and yoursAfter weeks (years, really) of debate on the subject I realized I’d never really committed to writing my argument about why I think it’s…Jan 25, 20218Jan 25, 20218
Gramscians vs. SoreliansWriter Jacob Siegel made an observation to the effect of “The American Right has left its Grasmscian period and entered its Sorelian…Jan 23, 20217Jan 23, 20217
A little more on Romantic Irony, this time focusing on Kierkegaard’s interest and use in the…To recap from last time, this means that the ironic subject, if truly dedicated to irony, must negate, diminish, parody — must treat…May 20, 2020May 20, 2020
Romantic Irony, Humor, and the Modern Self“Romantic Irony” might sound like a strange idea: we normally associate romanticism with the sincere expression of emotion and also with…May 14, 2020May 14, 2020
The Irishman and Post-War AmericaThe Irishman comes out at a particular interesting moment when we’re reassessing the history of the past century. The tendency recently…Dec 4, 20191Dec 4, 20191
“A Conqueror’s Freedom”: A Hegelian Interpretation of Kanye West’s BreakdownSomething about Kanye West’s latest breakdown (or “breakthrough” as he puts it ) made me think of Hegel. In Hegel’s The Phenomenology of…May 8, 2018May 8, 2018
Murray Rothbard’s Ontology and the Alt-RightThere have been several criticisms of my piece on Murray Rothbard for the Baffler. I did not, it is alleged, fully address the diversity of…Dec 29, 20171Dec 29, 20171
The Low Political Theater of the Jongen Affair, one month laterAbout a month ago I published a piece in The Baffler about the Hannah Arendt Center’s decision to invite Marc Jongen of the Alternativ für…Nov 21, 2017Nov 21, 2017
Libertarian “Democracy Skepticism” and the Pathological SelfI’ve been following with interest Will Wilkinson’s writing about libertarian democracy skepticism and the reach of its influence on the…Nov 19, 20172Nov 19, 20172
Crisis of the RepublicThe morning after Trump was elected, President Barack Obama told his daughters, as a way of reassuring them that, “Societies and cultures…Apr 23, 2017Apr 23, 2017