It will be recalled that, in my previous two posts, I wrote about nihilism having to do with a belief in ‘nothing,’ and a concomitant, wanton destruction of (everything valuable in) society, and about two kinds of nihilism (passive and …
Triumph of the ‘Mass-Man’
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would deny that we are living through an age of staggering cultural change, and that has as one of its more salient features a generalized decline in human attentional capacities, as well as …
Two Sides of the Nihilistic Coin
In my previous post, it will be recalled, I wrote about the emergence of the condition known as ‘nihilism’ in modern culture and society – one characterised by an awareness that things, relationships, institutions, and so on, lack the self-evident …
We Approach State Singularity
Many citizens of the West believe that they live in free societies, or something close. But as time goes on, public authorities increasingly insist on having a say in everything.
People cannot build things on their own land without permits. …
The Sorrows of Empire
Metaphors And Historical Understanding
There is no such thing as fully objective history, and that’s for a simple reason. History is generated in narrative form, and the creation of every narrative—as Hayden White made clear four decades ago—necessarily involves the …
The Confiscation of Reality
The UK Meteorological Office has just reported that we have enjoyed the hottest May on record.
Meanwhile, those of us who have lived in the UK during May have endured unseasonal cold and rain, and have complained to one another …
America’s cult of Weird
Readers, friends, sea cucumbers, square roots of negative one! A momentous anniversary will soon be upon us! Next year, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of the day a car rolled into my hometown of Reno, Nevada, in the strange …
Without Community and Boundaries, They Win
On May 11, 2024, an NFL placekicker, who happens to be a traditional Catholic, gave a commencement address to a tradition-friendly Catholic college on traditional Catholic themes and received a standing ovation. Nothing surprising happened that day, and yet the …
Julius Evola: the far-Right’s favourite philosopher
On 25 November 1970, the great Japanese novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima arrived for an appointment with the commandant of the Tokyo barracks of the Japan Self-Defence Forces, Eastern Command. With the help of four others who joined him on …
Nihilism Strikes with a Vengeance
We live in what is probably the most nihilistic era in the history of humankind. Most English-speaking people have probably heard the term, ‘nihilism,’ but I’m willing to bet that not many know its precise meaning. The term comes from …
The narcissism of liberal gods
By now it’s a cliché that liberalism in the Anglosphere has become a religion, whether or not its adherents know it. But less often remarked is a fact somewhat in tension with this claim: namely, that its worshippers get to …
Atlas Shrugs Twice
One fateful day in March 2020, the incompetent men shut down the world with lockdowns. It was the opposite of the premise in Atlas Shrugged. Who is John Galt? Who cares? The incompetent people could stop the motor of the …
Pain is the Prompt
It’s been a long time, I know.
It pains me that I haven’t written, that I haven’t been able to muster the energy, focus, or heart to put pen to paper and express anything, but I do so now precisely …
Philosophy of Law for the Modern World
The French philosopher, Jean-Francois Lyotard, who contributed important philosophical insights in a variety of philosophical sub-disciplines, regarded his book, The Differend (originally published in 1983), as his most important work, and with good reason. It is a tightly argued text …
Sing Us a Song, Piano Man
The last orchestral performance I went to was shortly after our local orchestra resumed limited, socially distanced performances after the initial shutdown. That was in November 2020, nearly two full months after Governor DeSantis had removed any official statewide restrictions. …