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Hard Cases Make Bad Protests

Commentary by , June 2, 2020

Race Riot Roundup Because 2020 hasn’t been bad enough already, now we can add race riots to the list of plagues descending upon us to punish us for our sins. The violence of the last week, which reached a peak of intensity this weekend, has been confusing and has confused origins. So let me try […]

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America Returns to Space

Commentary by , May 29, 2020

There’s a lot of unpleasant breaking news from the last few days that I’ll need to cover soon, but in the meantime, I’m going to devote this issue to two positive stories about the power of good in the world. America Returns to Space If all goes well, tomorrow afternoon America will return to space. […]

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The Ideas Primary

Commentary by , May 24, 2020

Five Things You Need to Read Today Editor’s Note: Check out a long and interesting podcast I did a few days ago with a couple of libertarians who were interested in discussing nationalist conservatism, the Enlightenment, and the nature of reason. I knew I had no choice but to do this podcast when I heard […]

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Smart Reopening

Commentary by , May 14, 2020

Coronavirus Roundup, Part 3 How can you be smart in a “dumb reopening“? When the state and local government lockdowns were first announced, I referred to Stein’s Law: “If something cannot go on forever, it won’t.” The lockdowns can’t go on forever, so they’re already being lifted, partially and piecemeal. But as I warned in […]

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“Dumb Reopening”

Commentary by , May 12, 2020

Coronavirus Roundup, Part 2 I ended the previous installment of this roundup by defining the right basic question: What is the nature of the problem we’re confronting, how does it work, and how do we solve it? First, since we are awash in misinformation about coronavirus, I want to direct you to some good sources. […]

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Everything You Don’t Need to Know About Coronavirus

Commentary by , May 8, 2020

Coronavirus Roundup, Part 1 This is the first installment of what will be a two-part coronavirus roundup. The second part will be loaded with facts and practical advice for the period or re-opening that is just starting, but in this first part, I want to revisit some of the philosophical issues, because there have been […]

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Blind Because We Have Eyes

Commentary by , May 5, 2020

Five Things You Need to Read Today 1. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished With a lot of ordinary commerce limited by the coronavirus threat, at least we have companies like Amazon to fall back on, demonstrating how the flexibility and innovation of a capitalist economy can help get us through a crisis. So naturally, a […]

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Things of Beauty

Commentary by , April 29, 2020

I promised you a few art recommendations to get you through the last week or so of our national quarantine, and into the difficult economic times that will follow. Here is one from Sherri, re-starting a regular feature she used to do for this newsletter, then one from me below.—RWT Things of Beauty Excerpt from […]

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Armchair Epidemiologists Versus Shoe-Leather Epidemiologists

Commentary by , April 25, 2020

Coronavirus Roundup April 25, 2020 Editor’s Note: Check out a videoconference I did earlier this week with the Ayn Rand Centre UK on Atlas Shrugged and the coronavirus. You will also see my new coronavirus-era hair style. I am told that if I tell you it makes me look like Bruce Willis, you will be […]

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The Theory and the Practice

Commentary by , April 2, 2020

Five Things You Need to Read Today 1. “The Social Distancing Culture War” Part of the reason people are having a hard time adjusting to the coronavirus crisis is that it has been so long since we’ve had to deal with a real pandemic in this country. Quarantines and the shutting down of public spaces […]

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