Shakespeare “Winces Not” at Black People

In the European Conservative, Rod Dreher shares his experience in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on the Feast of St. Stephen when something miraculous occurred. As part of the celebration, drones formed a large floating cross in the sky. Dreher explores Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s role in promoting “Christian democracy” in Hungary.

As students and teachers prepared to return to class, University of Minnesota professor Bruno Chaouat digs into the philosophical issues raised by AI. Writing in First Things, Chaouat argues that students using ChatGPT may initially get good grades, but will end up impoverishing themselves intellectually by delegating their thinking process to an algorithm.

David R. Osborne, in Law & Liberty, offers up a reason why a staggering 55 percent of American teachers are thinking about leaving their profession earlier than initially planned. He points an accusing finger at teachers’ unions determined to turn fraught pronoun policies into a tool to control their members’ personal opinions.

In Spiked, James Heartfield explores the history of reparations – particularly those connected with the Transatlantic black slave trade. In Heartfield’s take on righting the wrongs of the past, he argues that current demands for reparations are a sign of defeatism and that such payments never represent the interests of the compensated. 

Frank Haviland contributes to the intensifying debate surrounding gender in sports. Writing in the European Conservative, Haviland surveys world standings in chess – an internationally recognized sport that is accessible, impartial to gender and objective in its proceedings. He uncovers why some egalitarians have stopped advocating for “gender equity” in the Game of Kings.

James Dominic Rooney in Law & Liberty reflects on what the State cannot provide – namely, our moral capacity. Drawing on Confucian and Christian thinking, Rooney illustrates the limitations of the state and shows how a contorted view of it can, for example, warp our perspective of the war in Ukraine.

Elizabeth Grace Matthew in Law & Liberty critiques the latest fad in child-rearing: “gentle parenting.” She argues against excessively elevating a child’s feelings while incessantly but ineffectually “helicopter” parenting. Matthew suggests that stewarding our children’s intellectual and spiritual formation demands real parental authority based on objective standards, with the goal of building our children’s relationships with the wider world.

Fraser Myers delves into the origins of Britain’s ideological climate policy in Spiked. Myers argues that the recent Green Alliance report shows that the ostensible “consensus” on climate policy is only among political elites. Polls – and a recent byelection – reveal that so-called deep public support vanishes when austere sacrifices are cited. So then how democratic is environmental policy?

In First Things, Matthew B. Crawford explores four interrelated modes for the rise of what he terms “antihumanism,” simplified as: people are stupid, we are obsolete, we are fragile and we are hateful. The resulting lack of popular self-respect and elite contempt facilitates totalitarianism. Crawford suggests society – people – must reclaim their self-respect as humans with inherent worth.

In National Review, Jim Geraghty explores the depressing state of politics wherein only a handful of supporters even attempt to argue that Donald Trump or Joe Biden are honest. Geraghty points out the inconsistencies of both politicians and pleads with society to deal with the facts of the world and expect the same from our politicians.

Leonidas Zelmanovitz reflects in Law & Liberty on the origins of the political doctrine of liberalism – that being a reaction against absolutist regimes. Based on this understanding, Zelmanovitz argues that giving equal opportunities to students should be done long before the admission process – and that applicants should be judged on merit alone.

Matthew Dal Santo in First Things compares secularization in the West, Ukraine and Russia. While Russia’s claims about the cultural and spiritual dimensions of its war on Ukraine can be questioned, Dal Santo argues we have something to learn from the adversary’s opposition to secularization.

In Compact Magazine, Michael Anton presents a devastating take on the present that bodes very ill for our future. Anton describes 29 current indications including crime, drugs, the weaponization of the state, “diversity” and much more. Although he fervently wishes to be wrong, Anton wonders how we can even hope for something better.