Isonomia Quarterly

“Betting on Better Governance” by George Agbesi & Joshua D. Ammons

Brandon Christensen Economics , , , ,

Nothing distinguishes more clearly conditions in a free country from those in a country under arbitrary government than the observance in the former of the great principles known as the Rule of Law. — F. A. Hayek

At one point, Gordon Tullock thought taxi medallions were inefficient but intractable institutions, a classic example of what he called the transitional gains trap. The medallion system persisted not because it served the public, but because the rents it generated were capitalized into medallion prices, making any reform politically impossible. Then came Uber, and within a matter of years this supposedly permanent institution crumbled. What if a similar technology shock could do the same for societies lacking the rule of law?

[Click here to read the entire essay]

George Agbesi is a student and Research Assistant at the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism, Wabash College. Joshua D. Ammons is Scholar-in-Residence at the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism, Wabash College. Send Joshua mail at ammonsj@wabash.edu.

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“Of Lamb and Man” by Onyinyechi Ndukaire

Brandon Christensen Culture ,

Most lambs were born of flesh.

But not me.

I was born with a word.

“Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals. Each according to its kind.” I didn’t know who said it, but I began to live somehow. At first, I was a microscopic cell that grew and divided; my cells formed into tissues, which then developed into organs, and systems emerged afterwards. All these vital parts of mine were sewn up together into a body clothed in white fur, and hooves that made a closing to the ends of my limbs.

[Click here to read the entire story]

Onyinyechi Ndukaire is a writer residing in Lagos, Nigeria. She believes in the power of stories and how it has and will shape the world; that is why she tells them. Her works have been published in Isonomia Quarterly, Brittle Paper, Arts Lounge, and elsewhere. Write: ndukaireonyinyechi@gmail.com.

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“The Twelve Delusions of the Lollards” by Lucy Swan

Brandon Christensen Culture, History , , ,

Beginning in about late fourteenth-century England, a movement of Christians known as the Lollards challenged many of the doctrines of the medieval Church. They raised questions about who possessed the legitimate authority to interpret Scripture, administer sacraments, compel oaths, and govern Christian life. They insisted on the primacy of Scripture over ecclesiastical hierarchy and disputed church dogma on transubstantiation, clerical celibacy, pilgrimages, and prayers for the dead. The movement unsettled the religious, legal, and political structures through which the ecclesiastical authorities exercised rule.

The poem below adopts the voice of an orthodox clerical opponent responding to such challenges.

[Click here to read the whole thing]

Lucy Swan studies history and poetry. Her poetry appears in The Clayjar Review and The Aerie, where she also serves as an editor. Send her mail.

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“Incorrigible Rudeness, The Strategy For Social-Political Impotence” by Paul Poenicke

Brandon Christensen Culture, Current Events , , ,

Isonomia Quarterly readers have likely asked the following question: Why are Hayekian ideas so unpopular? Equality under the law and global federalism—two of Hayek’s most cogent ideals—are consequential from numerous perspectives and justified by many strong arguments. A dozen phrases pass through the mind—”The best arguments persuade,” “The truth will out,” “Survival of the fittest beliefs,” “Truth emerges from the marketplace of ideas”—to accost reality. Unfortunately, society is not a truth table, where the input of truth entails the output of further truths. Truth tables are constructs of logic, and reality is not beholden to the results of formal logic and its apparatuses.

[Click here to read the entire essay]

Paul Poenicke is a trained philosopher, specializing in social epistemology and social-political philosophy. Send mail to him at ppoenicke@gmail.com.

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“Anarchists and Crime” by Katrina Gulliver

Brandon Christensen History , , ,

The anarchist as a figure in crime is distinct. His goals are not financial, and the terrorist acts committed under the heading of anarchism have ranged from assassinations of public figures to bombings of random civilians. He has also slid far enough into history to seem quaint, or vaguely romantic, from the vantage point of the twenty-first century.

[Click here to read the entire essay]

Katrina Gulliver is trained as a historian, and has worked at universities and cultural institutions in Europe, the US, and Australia. You can find her website at katrinagulliver.com.

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Print copies of Isonomia Quarterly’s latest issue (4.1 Spring 2026) are now available

Brandon Christensen Current Events , ,

You can order a copy here.

If you become a paid subscriber to Isonomia Quarterly, you will, of course, get print issues sent to your door automatically…

New issue of Isonomia Quarterly coming out soon

Brandon Christensen Current Events , ,

In February. Perhaps it’ll even be on time.

Until then, check out last quarter’s issue here. And don’t forget to subscribe. Paying subscribers get print copies (I make them myself).