Featured Article
Temptations of Tyranny
Rod Dreher’s conflicted support for President Trump illustrates a broader crisis among intellectual conservatives who fear the "soft totalitarianism" of liberal institutions yet embrace the hard authoritarianism of executive overreach. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s political thought, the essay contends that true freedom is preserved not through charismatic leaders but through the multiplication and decentralization of citizen power. Revitalizing democracy, it argues, requires stubborn, local acts of collective governance rather than the dangerous temptation to concentrate authority in a single figure.04-27-2025
All Categories
The Promise of Action
Arendt reveals that by having an interest in local issues, people can band together, create shared initiatives, and thereby disclose the promise of action.07-05-2015
Arendt and Holding Criminals Accountable
Karen Tsdj uses an image of her personal Arendtian library to remind us of the importance of holding criminals accountable for their crimes.07-02-2015
William James on the Determinate Force of Thinking
William James reflects on how the activity of thinking helps to determine life in this week's Thoughts on Thinking.06-30-2015
Beyond Forgiveness
Samantha Hill examines the act of forgiveness and asks whether we can embrace this principle with respect to someone like Dylann Roof.06-28-2015
Amor Mundi 6/28/15
In our Amor Mundi, we celebrate the end of marriage inequality in the U.S., reflect on the life of Clementa Pinckney with President Obama, and much more.06-28-2015
Arendt: A Source of Independent Learning
Mark Olson shares a picture of his personal library of Arendt, whose works he used to create two independent study courses while studying in college.06-25-2015
H. G. Wells on Thinking and Grasping the Truth
Author H. G. Wells reflects on the clumsiness with which the human mind is able to grasp the truth in this week's Thoughts on Thinking.06-23-2015
Human Life and Politics in Arendt
Arendt's regard for storytelling reveals a difference between meaning and purpose, which in turn yields an important element of political and human life.06-21-2015
Amor Mundi 6/21/15
In our Amor Mundi, we identify the recent church shooting in Charleston as a speakable act, reflect on the Pope's views about climate change, and much more.06-21-2015