Mark T. Mitchell is the co-founder of Front Porch Republic. He is the Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College and the author of several books including Plutocratic Socialism, Power and Purity, The Limits of Liberalism, The Politics of Gratitude, and Localism in Mass Age: A Front Porch Republic Manifesto (co-editor).
Mark T. Mitchell
Articles by Mark T. Mitchell
Review of “The Humane Vision of Wendell Berry”
Published recently in The American Conservative. The book contains essays by such writers as Allan Carlson, Patrick Deneen, Jason Peters, Caleb Stegall, Rod Dreher, and D. G. Hart. Readers of…
Wendell Berry in D.C. in Two Venues
On Sunday, Wendell Berry spoke at The National Cathedral. You can see that event here. On Monday, he delivered the Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities. The…
Gender Matters
In the spring of 2011, articles began popping up about a couple in Toronto who were refusing to publicly reveal the gender of their baby. They named the child “Storm”…
Mitchell at the National Cathedral
For those in the D.C. area, I will be speaking at the National Cathedral on Sunday morning at 10:10. The topic is "The State of Political Geography: Where Do We…
Interview with Edward Abbey
If you were intrigued by the song about Edward Abbey posted by Bill Kauffman, this three part interview with Abbey might be of interest. There is plenty of food for thought…
Patriotism vs. American Exceptionalism
Do you love America? If so, how much? Do you wear an American flag on your lapel (and look askance on those who don’t)? Do you drive only American cars?…
A Scar on the Soul
This is a powerful piece describing the consequences of some fertility techniques that involve selective reduction of embryos. I will never fully recover from what I've seen, and done. For…
Living Alone
The New York Times recently ran a précis of a book by Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University and the author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary…
Conservative in America
Kearneysville, WV. As this election cycle grinds on, and as Washington prepares for CPAC's 2012 event, each Republican candidate continues to claim that he best represents the conservative ideal. In…
Monsanto vs. Family Farmers
Today in New York City the oral arguments will be heard. You can read more here and here. On January 31, family farmers will take part in the first phase…
Agrarian Hypocrisy and the Evils of Distributism
One thing that has amused me in these first three years of FPR’s existence is the tendency of some readers to single out one or two articles and lament that…
A Jeffersonian Kansas
Here is an article describing how Kansas is leading the way toward a less centralized future. The “revolution in a cornfield” that is happening today in Gov. Sam Brownback's Kansas…
The Big Lie (From an Insider)
In this essay, former Wall Street Investment Banker, Michael Thomas, expresses his frustration and disillusion with our current economic system. His credibility comes from three decades on Wall Street. In…
Bill McKibben Predicts a Small Future
We are at a turning point, according to McKibben. The era of the big and few is being replaced by a new era of the small and the many. Take…
The Euro: Crisis and Opportunity
The Euro is in trouble, and the news just keeps getting worse. There is now open talk of a post-Euro Europe, and such a turn would be a serious strike…
New Wendell Berry Book
At long last The Humane Vision of Wendell Berry is available. This volume, published by ISI Books and co-edited by Nathan Schlueter and yours truly, includes sixteen original essays on…
FPR Conference Video Is Now Available
Video of the September 24, 2011 conference at Mount St. Mary's University is now up on You Tube. Search for "human scale conference" or click here. Thanks to the tech…
American Exceptionalism or a Modest Republic?
If you are planning to run for president, here’s a word of advice: you must assert regularly and with great conviction your belief in American Exceptionalism. This seems especially true…
Jane Jacobs: A Symposium
The American Conservative has published a symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jane Jacobs's book The Death and Life of the Great American Cities. The symposium features…
Porchfest
A neighborhood in Ithaca, NY is doing something special. It's called Porchfest. Here's a taste, but be sure to go to the story and scroll down to the video. Porchfest…
On Power
Every fall I teach a course called “Democracy.” One of the books we invariably read is On Power: The Natural History of its Growth by the French philosopher Bertrand de…
Rod Dreher is Going Home
Here's a taste: Yesterday I rented a house in the historic district of St. Francisville, my hometown. I was on the phone with Mr. Walter, the owner, settling the terms.…
A New FPR Series
We are pleased to announce that John Schwenkler has joined our merry band and has agreed to edit an on-going series titled "The View From Your Front Porch." The first…
FPR Conference: A Fine Day in Emmitsburg
For those of you who were not able to be in Emmitsburg on Saturday, you missed a wonderful day. The rain stopped sometime in the night and the early morning…