Профиль

I am editing a special issue of EJPE on Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations at 250, and the first article by the great Maria Carrasco of the issue has been published, "Subsidiarity and Solidarity in Adam Smith’s Free Society" (abstract in picture.) doi.org/10.23941/ejp...

On Open Socrates, pt. 4: Olberding, Dracula's Lament, and Tolstoy's Problem open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Open Socrates, pt. 4: Olberding, Dracula's Lament, and Tolstoy's ProblemIn the Fall of 1994, I was working at a market research firm in Boston.open.substack.com

Back in the mothership. #iamnotevenmarxist

Full essay here: digressionsnimpressions.wordpress.com/2022/01/19/m...

Michael Polanyi on the collapse of liberalism and the Rise of Fascism: Religion and LibertyAnglo-American liberalism was first formulated by Milton and Locke. Their argument for freedom of thought was twofold. In its first part (for which we may quote the Areopagitica) freedom from autho…digressionsnimpressions.wordpress.com

That fifa can make uefa seem to have any principles is quite an achievement.

It's underreported how funny The Death of Ivan Ilyich is. #lookingatuAmy

On Open Socrates, pt. 3: From Adam Smith to Alcibiades open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Open Socrates, pt. 3: From Adam Smith to AlcibiadesThe main inspiration of Agnes Callard’s (2025) Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life. (W.W. Norton) is the Socrates depicted in a sub-set of Plato’s writings. In the previous two posts on t...open.substack.com

I think Joe Heath should replace Ross Douthat at NYT. I will be no less irritated.

On Open Socrates, pt. 2: Wavering Shame open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Open Socrates, pt. 2: Wavering ShameIn (2025) Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life (W.W.open.substack.com

On Open Socrates, pt 1: The Missing Daimonion open.substack.com/pub/digressi... shout outs to @sophisteuein.bsky.social @cdutilhnovaes.bsky.social @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social

On Open Socrates, pt 1: The Missing DaimonionPlato’s dialogues are the exclusive source for the Socrates you will encounter in this book, just as they are the starting point for most of the philosophizing done in Socrates’ wake.open.substack.com

Is Neal Stephenson's Anathem worth the opportunity costs? One word responses fine. More also welcome.

Mamdani is the neo-liberal we have prayed for

We need a good term for a Musk-shares price collapse. Elongation crisis? Elonflatlined?

I am catching up on refereeing. Why do so many political theory authors assume 'political philosophy' coincides with critical theory or rawlsianism?

You would think the Saudis could easily rely on solar power instead of going nuclear.

Two catty points: (1) in light of the 2026 final, maybe people will discern retrospectively more clearly the Argentinian villainousness in the 2022 QF against Holland. (2) maybe di Maria deserves more credit for the 2022 victory than we all realize? #HoldingGrudges

I am okay with contemporary 'big wigs' ignoring existing scholarship (including my own) when they offer a fresh reading of past masters. But I loath it when these academic oligarchs fail to do the reading and rely on cliches (backed up with pro-forma scholarship) and express stereotypes of the past.

Before the world cup, did any pundit remind their audience that Rodri is the best player? I love that Spain won because they were so evidently the best team at this event. 1/2

Thought of the week: Xenophon’s Socrates is much more akin to a Chinese sage than Plato’s.

Since 1970, England has been no closer to world cup glory than the Dutch have been; and they haven't had the string of superb squads the Dutch have had (including some that never made it to the final --looking at you 2004; 1998--), but they seem even more traumatised by the history of non-success.