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On The Tribalism of Cosmopolitans
In his column, Ross Douthat critiques modern cosmopolitans, arguing they form a tribe of racially diverse yet intellectually and economically homogenous elites, masking their self-interest behind claims of objectivity. He contrasts them with "real cosmopolitans," who genuinely seek out and engage with unfamiliar cultures and perspectives, rather than assimilating differences into global sameness. Douthat’s essay challenges the idea that cosmopolitans are truly open-minded, suggesting instead that they exhibit tribal tendencies, avoiding those who don't share their values or worldview.Featured
Concentration Camps
Roger Berkowitz talks to The Independent about comments made by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about detention centers along the U.S.—Mexico border.
Between Mill and Plato
Roger Berkowitz and Samantha Hill take a look at Jonny Thakkar's examination of political correctness.
Arendt’s Political Relevance
Roger Berkowitz shares John Thomason's examination of Arendt's ideas applied to the present time.Immortality and Politics
Roger Berkowitz writes about immortality, Arendt, and Amber Scorah's reflections on grief.The New Aristocrats
By Roger BerkowitzMatthew Stewart in The Atlantic rehearses the truth that the top one percent of Americans are villains and the bottom 99 percent are the good guys. The reality, he argues, is more complicated. Stewart divides us instead into three classes. There is the top 0.1 percent who are masters of the universe and the bottom 90 percent who are losing out in a race to the bottom. In between is the top 9.9 percent who Stewart calls “the new aristocrats.” While it is easy to claim to be part of the 99%, many who do so are part of this new aristocracy who Stewart argues are “accomplices in a process that is slowly strangling the economy, destabilizing American politics, and eroding democracy.”
A Disjunctive or Disruptive President?
By Roger BerkowitzJack Balkin of Yale Law School recently described Donald Trump as a disjunctive president. Using a model developed by Stephen Skowroneck, Balkin argues that Trump represents the “last gasp of the vanishing Reagan era that began in 1980.” He writes...
Hannah Arendt’s Ethics
By Samantha HillTwo pieces on Hannah Arendt’s analysis of Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil appeared this week. In a review essay for Contemporary Political Theory John Macready offers a probing critique of Deirdre Lauren Mahony’s Hannah Arendt’s Ethics...
Reading Arendt Now
By Samantha HillPeople often ask me, “Why Arendt?” The honest answer is that I fell in love with her writing my freshman year of college, reading The Human Condition on a brown leather sofa in the library, between the stacks.
Who is a Whistleblower?
By Roger BerkowitzDaniel Ellsberg was the quintessential whistleblower. He was an expert insider who had evidence of government misconduct. After attempts to expose the misconduct to his superiors, he offered it to journalists. Ellsberg’s whistleblowing led to the publication of “The Pentagon Papers,” which became the raw material for one of Hannah Arendt’s prescient essays “Lying in Politics.”