The best of intellectual conservative thought, every Thursday
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CATEGORY: ECONOMICS (4 min)
 

Free Markets Aren’t Everything: A Reflection on Parasite


Is the GDP really the best indicator of a country’s prosperity? 

How about the number of smartphones? 

If you’re not convinced by either of those metrics, then there’s a movie you need to see . . . 

Lessons from Oscar-Nominated Parasite

In this week’s Intercollegiate Review article, Anthony M. Barr explores crucial themes in Bong Joon-ho’s surprise hit film—and in Barr’s personal experience of “relative poverty.”

Turns out that a popular narrative about free-market capitalism reveals some bugs . . .
 
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CATEGORY: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (8 min)


A Republic, If We Can Keep It


You’ve heard the story about Benjamin Franklin and the passerby, right?

She asks him whether Americans were getting a republic or a monarchy.

He responds, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

What That Means in a Time of Impeachment Trials and Civil Discord

In The Atlantic, AEI scholar Adam J. White examines Benjamin Franklin’s warning—and what it holds for Americans today.

Read his article to learn:
  • what civility and civic virtue really mean—and why most people get them wrong
     
  • how the Supreme Court justices model true civil disagreement in their work

Bonus: White’s article is like a tour of the Federalist Papers. If you’ve ever wanted to read them, you’ll enjoy his introduction.
 
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From the Archives
CATEGORY: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (3 min)
 

Montesquieu and the Two Historical Foundations of Tolerance


Tolerance is a popular idea now.

Guess how old it is.

Did you know it goes back to eighteenth-century philosopher Montesquieu?

Perhaps tolerance has become meaningless in political parlance today, given how intolerant the tolerant sometimes are. But if you’re the kind of person who loves going back to roots, this excerpt from philosopher Chantal Delsol’s book Unjust Justice is a good place to start digging.
 
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The Rise of the Administrative State Undergraduate Conference
Join brilliant undergraduate students and faculty as we explore the rise of the administrative state from historical, philosophical, and legal perspectives.

Speakers include philosophers, a lawyer who has been fighting the growth of government from the inside, a historian, and a legal scholar! 

At this conference, you'll: 
  • grasp philosophical, historical, and legal perspectives on the increase of government in America
     
  • learn what we can do to promote ordered freedom in our time
     
  • have intelligent conversation with great people
     
  • come away with a deeper understanding of a complex issue

Applications close February 10, so apply today. 
 
Apply Now

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Most thoughtful college students are sick of getting a shallow education in which too many viewpoints are shut out. We teach you the principles of liberty and plug you into a vibrant intellectual community so that you get the collegiate experience you hunger for.

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