A Thinking Reed

  • The progress delusion

    It’s become commonplace to observe that atheism can display many of the same traits as the religions it criticzes, but British political thinker John Gray is a master of exploring the quasi-religious themes in the myth-making of secular modernity, something he’s done for everything from communism, to global capitalism, to human uniqueness, to the idea…

  • Environmentalism for the rest of us

    I meant to link to this piece from Orion magazine earlier (via Russell I think). It’s all about cultivating an environmentalism that can appeal to working class people (specifically white ones in this case), not just by appealing to their interests, but by understanding and sympathizing with their culture. It’s no secret that much of…

  • What I did on my winter vacation

    I wanted to say something about my trip to Germany. I stayed in Berlin, in what was formerly part of East Berlin, a neighborhood called Prenzlauer Berg. Under communism it was a locus for dissidents and artists but is now almost indistinguishable from trendy yuppie neighborhoods in DC or about a dozen other cities I…

  • The speech

    I haven’t read much of the commentary, but I thought this Obama speech was pretty darn brilliant. Not only did he convincingly refute the worries that he was too close to his fiery and eccentric pastor, he wove the issue into a broader narrative about race, resentment, and injustice in America. Not only that, but…

  • Spinoza on Christ

    This post from Brandon on Benedict (a.k.a. Baruch) Spinoza’s views on the person of Jesus is really interesting. I spent a lot of time as an undergrad reading Spinoza and even considered myself a “Spinozist” of sorts for a while. It served as a stepping stone from atheism to theism.

  • Obama and interventionism

    I was skeptical of this article on Obama’s approach to foreign policy because I think Brendan O’Neill and the rest of the Spiked crew often bend over backwards to be contrarian. But he makes some legitimate points. Obama, while still preferable to the other candidates, isn’t a bona fide peacenik. I do think O’Neill stretches…

  • Art of the Possible

    This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s a new multiple-author blog exploring the potential for alliances between liberals and libertarians that features, among other folks, one-man mutualism publishing house (and occassional ATR commenter) Kevin Carson. The blog is here: The Art of the Possible

  • Fox on The Party Faithful

    Russell Arben Fox has a substantial post (he doesn’t really write any other kind) on Amy Sullivan’s new book, The Party Faithful, about the up-and-down relationship between the Democratic party and religious believers. I haven’t read the book, but it sounds interesting, and Russell’s reflections are worth checking out in their own right.

  • I’m not dead yet

    Sorry for the absence of posting over the last couple of weeks. Lest anyone thought I was stuck in the hooscow somewhere in the Netherlands, I did make it back safe and sound from Germany (which was awesome). Life has intervened in the meantime, though: I’ve started a new job, gone on retreat with people…

  • Vegetarian homesick blues

    I’d prepared myself for the fact that, while in Germany, I wouldn’t be able to adhere strictly to my vegetarianism. If Peter Singer can talk approvingly about a “Paris exception,” then surely I can invoke a “Berlin exception.” As it happens though, when I was in Wittenberg today (about which more anon, perhaps) I ordered…