The Founders and the Common Good
Let us see how a return to our Founding principles might advance our common good.
The dominant public philosophy among American elites is modern liberalism, often referred to merely as “liberalism.” Two beliefs make up liberalism’s core: first, that freedom is, in the words of Justice Anthony Kennedy in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), “the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life”; and second, that to secure this understanding of freedom, the state must remain “neutral” toward competing comprehensive conceptions of the “good.” Liberalism so understood is both relativistic and, ultimately, nihilistic. It makes the individual’s will sovereign over reality. It denies the existence of a common good because it holds that there are no rational intrinsic goods that human beings hold in common. The essence of man, in the liberal view, is willful individual choice—asserting one’s view of oneself and of reality and then shaping one’s life in light of that posited worldview.
Pursuit of Happiness
The Rise of Latino America
In The Rise of Latino America, Hernandez & Kotkin argue that Latinos, who are projected to become America’s largest ethnic group, are a dynamic force shaping the nation’s demographic, economic, and cultural future. Far from being a marginalized group defined by oppression, Latinos are integral to America’s story. They drive economic growth, cultural evolution, and workforce vitality. Challenges, however, including poverty, educational disparities, and restrictive policies, threaten their upward mobility. Policymakers who wish to harness Latino potential to ensure national prosperity and resilience should adopt policies that prioritize affordability, safety, and economic opportunity over ideological constraints.
.jpg)
Spielberg’s Empty Hope
'Disclosure Day' should have been called 'Hope and Change,' or rather 'Change and Hope.'
.jpg)
Deliberative Republicanism and the Triumph of the American Founding
Instead of rejecting the moral urgency of the postliberal right and left, it is fitting and proper that we redirect it through the right kind of education—both formal and informal—that can inspire affection for our Constitution.
.jpg)
