The Caine Mutiny Court Martial
Or, Is it Worthwhile to Psychoanalyze Politicians? There was a time, not too long ago, when amateur psychoanalysis was in the toolbox of students, intellectuals, and even…
Lost in the Original: Reading Without Translations
When we enter middle age we shed the illusions of youth (such as the merit of keg parties). As we approach the far border of that period…
A Remembrance of First Principles: Personal History and Historical Preservation
The greatest potential of historic preservation isn’t merely in temporarily saving a vast potpourri of old buildings and sites from the inexorable ravages of time. Instead, in…
I Drink Therefore I Am
I Drink, Therefore I am: A Philosopher's Guide to Wine. Roger Scruton. London: Continuum, 2009. Roger Scruton, author of numerous books on political philosophy, music, modern…
The Mystery of the High Sales of C.S. Lewis
Why is C.S. Lewis loved so hard by so many people? He was a man of wide reading (very wide reading), but as a scholar he was…
Common Sense and the Common Sense Tradition
The philosophical and political import of common sense is strikingly suggested in a passage from Eric Voegelin's Autobiographical Reflections. The passage has the additional merit of highlighting…
Biological Phenomenalism and Charles Darwin
[The success] of the theory of evolution in the nineteenth century [is a source of bewilderment to the historian of ideas]. The evolution of the forms of…
Letter from Vienna (May 2010)
Recently I began to read about the life and work of German philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand who, to escape the Nazis, moved to the Austrian capital —…
St. Augustine: The Limits of Moral Action and Politics
People hope and pray that their nation will enjoy peace, security, and at least a modicum of neighborly flourishing. They are willing to suffer and bear large…
Laugh Out Loud: Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop
Scoop. Evelyn Waugh. London and New York: Chapman & Hall, Penguin Books, 1938. Movie comedies do not age well. Things that seemed funny 60 or 70…