- Before Indiana Jones came Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron Blake Smith, Aeon
- Can economists and humanists ever be friends? John Lanchester, New Yorker
- A Guaranteed Income would undermine the social virtues of work John McGinnis, Law & Liberty
- On Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Palestine, and the Left Corey Robin, Crooked Timber
Links
Nightcap
- Brexit as neoliberal politics Chris Dillow, Stumbling and Mumbling
- Russia and “dark globalization” John Connelly, Public Books
- Rand Paul finds lots to like in Trump’s presser with Putin Elana Schor, Politico
- Did Trump just help stop Brexit? Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer
Nightcap
- How sanctions feed authoritarianism Peter Beinart, the Atlantic
- Four ways of looking at a constitution Stephen Cox, Liberty Unbound
- Mining minerals in outer space: Luxembourg leads the way Justin Calderon, BBC
- Europe’s dependence on the US was all part of the plan Claire Berlinski, Politico
Nightcap
- Cambodia and the academic Left Matthew Blackwell, Quillette
- Lewis Carroll’s adventures in Russia Mark Davies, Times Literary Supplement
- Does ‘Melanesia’ exist? Rhys Griffiths, History Today
- KFC: Kentucky Fried Camel Sarah Osman, Coldnoon
Nightcap
- Belgium struggles to manage its burgeoning Islamic scene Bruce Clark, Erasmus
- Juul Madness John Tierney, City Journal
- Citizenship is the new caste system Rachel Lu, the Week
- Hope and fear in a world of uncertainty Kenan Malik, Guardian
Nightcap
- The lesser of two evils, Brazilian style Dom Phillips, Guardian
- Why We Need a New Transatlantic Alliance Bruno Maçães, National Review
- The Atlantic Charter, Atlanticism, and Western Civilization Nick Nielsen, The View from Oregon
- The Rich Tapestry of Jewish Life Colin Shindler, History Today
Nightcap
- You’ll Hate This Post On Brett Kavanaugh And Free Speech Ken White, Popehat
- Kavanaugh and Executive Power – the Good, the Bad, and the Overblown Ilya Somin, Volokh Conspiracy
- Judge Kavanaugh and Justice Kennedy’s Free Speech Legacy Jonathan Adler, Volokh Conspiracy
- How the Kavanaugh Nomination Reveals a Deep Challenge to Our Democracy David French, National Review
RCH: Terrorism, libertarianism in the mountain west, global gold rushes, and more!
Woah, I’ve been busy.
Somehow, they haven’t canned me over at RealClearHistory yet, so I’mma keep going. Here’s the latest:
- I put together RealClearHistory‘s official summer reading list
- Kinda, sorta defended Rod Blagojevich
- Threw together the World Cup’s top 10 greatest moments
- Celebrated the 4th of July by writing about Confederates
- Put together a list of 10 terrorist attacks most relevant to the world today (sans 9-11)
- Wrote up a brief history of the “Equality State”
- And highlighted 10 of the world’s craziest gold rushes
Two of those gold rushes are happening right now. Why aren’t they famous in the same way that 19th century gold rushes are? You’ll have to check out the link to find out!
Nightcap
- Right-libertarians as counter-advocates Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling
- India, Modernity, and the Great Divergence Susan Wolcott, EH.net
- When Trotsky lived in the Big Apple Joseph Hammond, Claremont Review of Books
- Vienna is celebrating its architectural legacy Kendall Hill, the Australian
Nightcap
- Did Cicero Devise Modern Constitutional Thought on His Own? David Potter, Law & Liberty
- Russia’s Pacific history is little known, perhaps even in Russia Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books
- The Opium War and the Humiliation of China Ian Morris, New York Times
- The Puzzle of Russian Behavior in Deir al-Zour Kimberly Marten, War on the Rocks
The Enlightenment and the Birth of Racism
I have a new essay up at Liberal Currents in which I respond to the charge that the Enlightenment saw the birth of modern racial theorizing. Thanks go to Adam Gurri for getting me to write it and for him and others at Liberal Currents for giving plenty of comments along the way.
The piece was inspired by Jamel Bouie who on Twitter and in a longer piece claimed that
“Race as we understand it—a biological taxonomy that turns physical difference into relations of domination—is a product of the Enlightenment.
In the piece, I take issue with this claim and provide evidence both of racial theorizing predating the Enlightenment and that modern scientific racism did not fully emerge until the 19th century, when it drew less on Enlightenment ideas than on Counter-Enlightenment thought.
In their eagerness to damn the Enlightenment, modern progressives neglect the contribution to racial theorizing of numerous Counter-Enlightenment thinkers from Joseph de Maistre to Thomas Carlyle.
Of course, other pieces have responded to Bouie. Including Ben Domenech at the Federalist and Katie Kelaidis at Quillette (both excellent). Hopefully, my essay adds to this conversation.
Nightcap
- Lagos: Hope and Warning Armin Rosen, City Journal
- The Agonizing Death of James Garfield Rick Brownell, Historiat
- Authority Interfluidity
- Ukraine wants a national church that is not beholden to Moscow Bruce Clark, Erasmus
Nightcap
- Afghanistan, corruption, and the CIA Edward Luttwak, Times Literary Supplement
- Ten years after the financial crisis John Lanchester, London Review of Books
- Aztec moral philosophy Sebastian Purcell, Aeon
- Balthus, eroticism, and censorship Lev Mendes, New York Review of Books
Nightcap
- Lake Wobegon’s Ghost Churches Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
- The Russian affinity for American stuff continues unabated Guy Archer, Moscow Times
- Avoiding World War III in Asia Parag Khanna, National Interest
- Did government decentralization cause China’s economic miracle? Hongbin Cai, World Politics
Nightcap
- If Hillary Hates Populism, She Should Love the Electoral College Ryan McMaken, Power & Market
- Why Are Some Libertarians So Conservative About Immigration? Christopher Freiman, Bleeding Heart Libertarians
- The Idea and Destiny of Europe Nick Nielsen, The View from Oregon
- Jobs, technical progress & productivity Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling
Notes On Liberty 