Summer 2024 • Vol 19, No. 2

Today, Thomas Paine is widely celebrated for spearheading the cause of American independence with Common Sense, but that barely scratches the surface of his contribution.

In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand shows that healthy relationships are based on shared moral values and a harmony of self-interest, and they exclude sacrifice.

The story of Governor Ron DeSantis’s prolonged battle against Disney’s legal independence has shown that many conservatives will choose egalitarianism over freedom when they find it politically expedient.

The Biden administration is heralding a new demon-haunted world in which the backward mysticism of a handful of tribes is injected into nearly every federal agency and, thereby, all of our lives. Let’s not tolerate a slide back into the Dark Ages.

Though little known today, Robert Ingersoll (1833–1899) was the post-Civil War era’s most potent orator and intellectual defender of reason and freedom.

Ivan Ko fled Hong Kong following China’s imposition of the national security law. Now he's working to create a new city with the goal of preserving and developing Hong Kong’s freedom-loving culture away from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

Most of America's founders came to despair that things had gone dreadfully awry and that their creation would soon crumble. What can their disillusionment teach us about America's future?

The first comprehensive book on the Japanese war crimes trial, Judgment at Tokyo is an exceptional feat of political, legal, and historical scholarship.

Although Slow Productivity is somewhat derivative of Newport’s other work, it is nonetheless an exceptionally important book that will be particularly valuable to those not yet familiar with his ideas.

The Brooklyn Stories offers hours of enjoyable reading. Andrew Bernstein is a “Jack of all genres,” but his talent with short stories is exceptional.

Jojo Rabbit is a profound story about self-discovery and redemption in one of history’s darkest periods.

The success of many of today's popular musical artists evinces a broad cultural trend: the triumph of defeat—that is, the near-universal acceptance that we are but confused and helpless creatures.

These artists are “bringing back the instrumental”—and reminding us that yes, indeed, well-crafted instrumental music can tell great stories.