Jon Hersey's Articles
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Lockdowns Versus Living
Jon Hersey April 27, 2020
Whereas many (if not most) who get COVID-19 may never even know it, the same cannot be said of the government’s “cure.” Barred from taking the actions necessary to support their lives, many are now worse off than they would be taking their chances without lockdowns.
Economics, Politics & Rights
Economists Petition Politicians to Repeal Laws against “Price Gouging”
Jon Hersey April 16, 2020
If you recognize and want to protect the rights of producers and traders to act on their judgment, which will, in turn, enable them to produce and sell the products we all need during this pandemic—please sign and share Raymond C. Niles’s petition.
Politics & Rights, Science & Technology
Statist Responses to COVID-19: An Interview with Michael Fumento
Jon Hersey April 3, 2020
“We need to look at the suffering caused by lockdowns. People suffer when they get COVID-19, and they suffer when they’re thrown out of work and can’t eat. They suffer both ways.” — Michael Fumento
History, Philosophy, Politics & Rights, Reviews
America’s Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It by C. Bradley Thompson
Jon Hersey March 28, 2020
The first in a two-part series on the country’s fundamental ideas, America’s Revolutionary Mind is not a narrative of events but a systematic re-creation of the philosophy that led colonists to, in the words of Thomas Paine, “begin the world over again.”
Arts & Culture, Biographies, History
Isabella Stewart Gardner: ‘One of the Seven Wonders of Boston’
Jon Hersey March 19, 2020
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a firecracker of a woman with a studied yet eclectic taste in art and the means to acquire lots of it. As one friend put it, she lived “at a rate and intensity, with a reality that makes other lives seem pale, thin and shadowy.”
Arts & Culture, Ayn Rand & Objectivism, History, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
How Heroes Improve Our Lives: An Interview with Andrew Bernstein
Jon Hersey March 12, 2020
In Heroes, Legends, Champions, Andrew Bernstein has created a fascinating hybrid of useful philosophy and inspirational vignettes about outstanding men and women. The result is a book that can help people rise to heroic heights in their own lives.
Politics & Rights, Science & Technology
Social Media and the Future of Civil Society
Jon Hersey February 20, 2020
Social media at times may carry messages we abhor. Shooting the messenger, though, is not a solution but a path toward statism. If we want to safeguard the future of civil society, then we must defend the rights of social media companies.
Arts & Culture
The ‘Purely Musical’ Madison Cunningham
Jon Hersey January 30, 2020
Madison Cunningham, just twenty-five, already has proven herself a consummate artist with the power to fuse melody, meaning, and an eclectic blend of musical styles to create grand works that can still fairly be described as pop songs.
Arts & Culture, Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Good Living
More Gift Ideas for Fans of Ayn Rand
Jon Hersey December 19, 2019
Here are some gift ideas that I think may enrich your holidays, your relationships, and your life. Merry Christmas!
Real Fake News
Bernie Sanders and AOC Release Plan to End Thanksgiving
As Americans stock up on french-fried onions and cranberry sauce, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announce the latest addition to the Green New Deal.
Arts & Culture
What If the Axis Powers Won WWII?
Jon Hersey November 8, 2019
One way to deepen one’s appreciation for the achievements of veterans is by glimpsing what the world might be like if those who fought for freedom in World War II had not won.
History, Philosophy, Reviews
The Plato Cult and Other Philosophical Follies by David Stove
Jon Hersey October 9, 2019
As Ayn Rand wrote, “To laugh at the contemptible, is a virtue.” With the wit of a Mark Twain and the jaundiced eye of a Richard Mitchell, David Stove practiced this virtue diligently and thus did philosophy a tremendous service.
Education & Parenting, Politics & Rights, Science & Technology
Greta Thunberg Should Be Angry—and So Should You
Jon Hersey September 26, 2019
Not only are eco-alarmists destroying the lives of children, but they are unashamedly using them as fodder to attack human flourishing and the freedom that makes it possible.
Good Living, Philosophy
Life-Enhancing Ideas from Alex Epstein’s Human Flourishing Project
Jon Hersey September 17, 2019
Alex Epstein’s Human Flourishing Project is loaded with life-enhancing ideas. Here’s a resource to help you retain and implement them.
History, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Obscure Manuscript Further Reveals John Locke’s Intellectual Honesty
Jon Hersey September 11, 2019
Locke’s intellectual honesty was the root of all of his achievements—and it’s on display in his newly uncovered “Reasons for Tolerateing Papists.”