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
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The Normal American
Fintan O’Toole argues that Trump’s supporters, despite his disparagement of America, demonstrate a profound confidence in its resilience, viewing his disruptive leadership as a path to restoring imagined national normalcy. The election underscores shifting gender dynamics and societal divisions, redefining the idea of who is considered a "normal American."11-24-2024
Who Are the Elite?
Musa al-Gharbi’s We Have Never Been Woke critiques symbolic capitalists—elites who dominate the symbolic economy—arguing that their wokeness often masks exploitative practices across both privileged and marginalized identities.11-24-2024
A Carnival of Destruction
The elite's complicity in mass movements lies in their thrill at unmasking societal hypocrisy, yet this descent into shamelessness fuels a carnival of destruction that empowers mob rule. Straddling the line between boldness and brazen disregard, figures like Trump and Musk embody the seductive but corrosive allure of totalitarian nihilism.11-17-2024
The Changing of the Guard
The dominance of liberal elites in media, academia, and business is unraveling as alternative narratives and new power structures emerge. The loss of control over information flows signals a seismic shift, with legacy institutions struggling to adapt while social media and decentralized platforms reshape the landscape of influence.11-17-2024
Elite Failure
Discover why Donald Trump’s political comeback is more than just another election win—it's the embodiment of a powerful movement fueled by everyday Americans demanding real change. This article dives deep into the growing resentment toward an elite establishment and uncovers how Trump has harnessed a collective sense of frustration and urgency, reshaping American politics as he challenges the power of longstanding institutions.11-10-2024
On Marxism and Anti-Colonialism, and Everything in Between
Discover the first issue of *Clocked Out*, a groundbreaking new journal founded by Bard alumni Fiona Miller and Zoe Laris-Djokovic! In this insightful conversation, they delve into the evolution of political ideologies, exploring shifts from Marxism to anti-colonialism and examining their impacts on education, activism, and intellectual life. This dialogue captures a dynamic perspective on today’s ideological landscape, blending deep analysis with fresh voices from the Bard community.11-02-2024
Fearless Speech
Explore "Fearless Speech," where Senior Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center, Allison Stanger, alongside Jaron Lanier and Audrey Tang, unveils a transformative approach to Section 230, proposing a balanced path to curb viral harm while safeguarding free expression in the digital age.11-02-2024
Voting, Again, With Everything Seemingly On the Line
This article examines the intense polarization and fatigue surrounding the upcoming election, focusing on the deep divisions between political factions in the United States. It highlights the dangers posed by a potential second term for Donald Trump, considering his influence over followers more loyal to him than to democratic institutions. The piece underscores the need for genuine dialogue and public engagement to bridge divides and suggests that despite profound disagreements, standing up for shared values is essential to sustaining democracy.11-02-2024
Hannah Arendt’s Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy
In the Fall of 1970, Hannah Arendt delivered a series of lectures on Kant’s political philosophy. She was scheduled to teach Kant again in the spring of 1976, though her death in December 1975 prevented her from doing so. Indeed, the fact of her untimely death is central to the story of Arendt’s Kant lectures – both their origin and the scholarly attention given to them. Being lecture notes, they were, of course, not published – nor were they ever intended for publication. Relegated to a cardboard box and stored in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., they became the interest of a then-graduate student, Ronald Beiner, who sought to read them for the purposes of his dissertation research.10-31-2024