Elites Failed the Discernment Test
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Elites let their disfavor for cultural change, and a desire to cozy up to edgy ideas, turn into a normalizing and promotion of far-right ideas.
Politics
Trump Promised Disaster. His Supporters Didn’t Believe Him.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Many Trump supporters underestimated his intentions during his first term, believing he wouldn’t follow through on his campaign promises, but his second term has revealed the dangers of their misjudgment.
Reign of the Competency Cosplayers
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
American politics suffers from a lack of genuine expertise, as leaders prioritize performative competence and tribal loyalty over actual knowledge and skill.
The GOP is now just grifters grifting each other
Monday, February 24, 2025
The GOP has become a political movement of con artists conning each other without realizing they’re being conned.
The Politics of "Unbiased" Conservative Search Engines
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
It’s impossible to build a search engine that isn’t biased and doesn’t manipulate results. But it is possible to convince conservatives you can.
The Shaky Future of Trump's Personality Cult
Monday, December 9, 2024
Given Trump’s poor and declining health, we might see the American right dramatically fracture during his second term.
The Quillette Effect
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
When echo chambers masquerade as open inquiry.
The GOP's Competence Gap
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Republican talent has largely been replaced by amateurs and grifters. That’s a hole the right will have difficulty recovering from.
The Misuse of Meritocracy
Monday, August 19, 2024
On men who convince themselves they are the only true meritocrats because women somehow don‘t understand or don‘t appreciate the idea of merit.
The False Equivalence Trap
Monday, July 8, 2024
As America faces authoritarianism, many intellectuals wrongly insist on equating both political sides, downplaying the clear danger posed by the far-right’s attacks on democracy.
How to Talk Yourself into Defending Nonsense
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Engaging in political discussions outside one’s expertise can lead to flawed arguments and a refusal to accept criticism, as individuals may mistakenly view dissent as a political attack rather than a valid critique.
Liberalism and Sympathetic Joy
Friday, February 16, 2024
Liberalism thrives on pluralism and is reinforced by virtues like goodwill and sympathetic joy, which foster happiness and social harmony without imposing a single conception of the good life.