Author: Brandon Christensen

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Israel’s annexation plans and the United States Michael Koplow, Ottomans & Zionists
  2. Opium: from vice to crime in European empires Diana Kim, Aeon
  3. An interview with John Stuart Mill Jason Brennan, 200-Proof Liberals
  4. Is the left reclaiming freedom and anti-statism from the right? Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. The Harpers free speech letter and controversy Tyler Cowen, MR
  2. The Religious Roots of a New Progressive Era Ross Douthat, NYT
  3. America, China, and the Dark Forest Niall Ferguson, Bloomberg
  4. Don’t confuse reality with science fiction Scott Sumner, MoneyIllusion

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Liberty , , ,
  1. On being black in Europe Chris Bertram, Crooked Timber
  2. Prudence, protests, and pandemics Greg Weiner, National Affairs
  3. Cambodia’s first national health service? Joanna Wolfarth, History Today
  4. Between German culture and Nazi culture Moritz Föllmer, OUPblog

From the Comments: Nationalism, conspiracy theories

Brandon Christensen Comments ,

Isn’t nationalism itself a sort of conspiracy theory?

This is from longtime reader (and honored guest) Jack Curtis.

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Unbundling the police in Venice Beach Conor Friedersdorf, Atlantic
  2. Violent protest and harmful intent Fernando R. Tesón, 200-Proof Liberals
  3. Israeli annexation, Palestinian resistance Tareq Baconi, NY Review of Books
  4. Statues are not history; rather, its opposite Simon Schama, Financial Times

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Toward scientific civilization Nick Nielsen, Grand Strategy Annex
  2. We colonize the sun first Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias
  3. What it means to me to be an American Ken White, Popehat
  4. Nationalist conspiracies Siniša Malešević, Disorder of Things

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. The American Parade Jacques Delacroix, NOL
  2. The Rabbit Outbreak Susan Orlean, New Yorker
  3. Why Gregory Bateson Matters Ted Gioia, LARB
  4. America Since the Sixties Timothy Crimmins, AA

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. One nation’s heroes are another’s war criminals (statues) Clare Mulley, Spectator
  2. Unraveling the mindset of victimhood Scott Kaufman, Scientific American
  3. The rage machine comes to St. Louis Jerry Taylor, Niskanen Center
  4. Morals, politics, and evolutionary drift Federico Sosa Valle, NOL

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Annexation as a policy issue is here to stay Michael Koplow, Ottomans & Zionists
  2. Ashoka’s moral empire Sonam Kachru, Aeon
  3. Against damnation (is hell Christian?) Michael Robbins, Bookforum
  4. Lockdown among Stamford Hill’s Haredi community Toby Lichtig, TLS

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. A leftist take on Espinoza v. Montana Mark Stern, Slate
  2. A conservative take on Espinoza v. Montana Ed Whelan, NR
  3. Tacitus on political authoritarianism Iskander Rehman,WOTR
  4. Tacitus on barbarian liberty Barry Stocker, NOL

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. The legacy of Wounded Knee Christopher Flannery, Claremont Review of Books
  2. Breaking the system Rachel Lu, Law & Liberty
  3. The man who reinvented India Kapil Komireddi, the Critic
  4. Woodrow Wilson’s ghost Ross Douthat, New York Times

Tuesday links

Brandon Christensen Links , , , , ,
  1. “Economics is [only] one way of reflecting on the times“
  2. Those revenue-raising early central banks
  3. Trumpism after Trump (too much straw)
  4. Never reason from a fatality rate
  5. The collapse of the ancient Roman tax base
  6. Multilateralism is alive and well (in the Indo-Pacific)

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Vienna: city of paradox Alexander Carpenter, Aeon
  2. The Vienna of Ludwig von Mises Schulak & Unterköfler, Mises Daily
  3. Empire of Abstraction: British anthropology Nile Davies, JHIblog
  4. Wealth and the life cycle Eric Crampton, Offsetting Behaviour

Nightcap

Brandon Christensen Links , , ,
  1. Why are the police in charge of road safety? Alex Tabarrok, MR
  2. Is decentralization overrated? Jason Sorens, Pileus
  3. Can corruption be good for growth? Brank Milanovic, globalinequality
  4. What is the relationship between urban change and the ship of Theseus? Nick Nielsen, Grand Strategy Annex

PS: I’m back from vacation. Hope y’all enjoyed yourselves while I was gone.

From the comments: All of the Bad Things that democratic governments do

Brandon Christensen Comments , , , ,

My general point has to do with this anti-democratic argument:

[…] where are the masses to stand up against war, bank bailouts, taxation, police aggression etc?

These are all Bad Things that democratic governments do, but they are also Bad Things that all governments do. And, in turn, these Bad Things are much less prevalent in democratic societies than they are in non-democratic societies.

In fact, it is only in democratic societies that you can complain about these Bad Things. It is only in democratic societies that you can do something about these Bad Things (even if it’s just blog-ranting).

This simple observation leads me to conclude that anti-democratic libertarians have it back asswards when it comes to democracy. Democracy is a byproduct of liberty. Maybe anarchy would lead to even less “war, bank bailouts, taxation, police aggression etc,” but as of now it is in democracies that these Bad Things have been made less prevalent.

Anti-democratic libertarians aren’t thinking on the margin when it comes to democracy. (Hence the dogmatism you find in certain anarcho-capitalist circles.)

This is from yours truly, in another dialogue with Chhay Lin on democracies, anarchies, and meritocracies. Read it from the top!