stiletto

SO ANDREW SULLIVAN'S new book is called The Conservative Soul. And who better to comment on so weighty a topic? Sullivan, after all, truly embodies the soul of conservatism--if by conservatism one means solipsism. [read more]

legal kill, redux

National Review: “Dead Reckoning” (1998) A quarter-century has passed since the Supreme Court struck down the laws of every state in the nation, in the name of a constitutional right to abortion it had just discovered. In Roe v. Wade,... [read more]

liberty

In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who... [read more]

the scientist as philosopher-king

Scientists should, and will, continue to play a role in the shaping and implementation of policy. But the answer to our admittedly imperfect system is not resort to an order of Platonic philosopher-kings. Or of Lewontin's philosopher-princelings, for that matter. [read more]

a simple plan

This year, for every foretelling of Democratic doom (a genre to which I am a proud contributor), there has been a corresponding prediction of a Republican breakup. If nothing else this election has decided which side has the better prophets, at least for the short term. [read more]

libertarian cranks

In the American context, libertarianism remains in the largest part a thought experiment for college sophomores of all ages. (Richard John Neuhaus) [read more]

requiem for a dream

Not that there is anything wrong with idealism in principle, or with a desire to heal society’s ills: but on the left these are often coupled with an elitist hubris and a denial of fundamental human nature. [read more]

beyond the echo chamber

One thing that does not bode well for the upgrade of this site (now ongoing, but not yet obvious unless you know where to look) is the fact that there remain some details unfinished from the original launch last October.... [read more]

and so it begins

On Monday alone, more than a thousand homosexual couples applied for marriage licenses in Massachusetts. The state's Supreme Judicial Court has successfully made an end run around the democratic process: Massachusetts voters will not be able to make their collective... [read more]

"the professoriate and the truth"

After a week of following the news much less closely than is my wont, I am a little slow on getting back into a daily posting rhythm. So tonight I'll start with an easy one. Last week at the unfortunately... [read more]

forcing the contradictions

Neuhaus is correct: the Constitution will be amended, either by a democratic process as provided for in the document itself, or by judicial fiat. I submit that those who hope for the latter are abetting the rise of tyranny. [read more]

line in the sand

Even the most prescient of public intellectuals is wrong as often as right. The trick is that—if you're going to be wrong—just try not to be very, very wrong. As in (for instance) this assessment by Andrew Sullivan. [read more]