Barbarians, Liberalism, and Disinformation
“We Must Become Barbarians.” Paul Kingsnorth sketches out possible strategies of resistance to the Machine that evade its systems rather than confronting them directly:...
University Press of Kentucky, Group Think, the Farm Bill, and more
“An Open Letter.” The bad news is that the University Press of Kentucky lost some of their funding in the new state budget. The...
The Invisible Hand, Context, and Farm Robots
“Liberalism and the Invisible Hand.” Adrian Vermeule’s essay in American Affairs is worth printing and reading with care. He argues that “the key hallmarks or notes...
Technological Failures, New Localism, and More
Each week, I’ll try to post links to recent essays and stories that might interest Porchers. If you have additional essays to recommend, please...
The Commons, Alfalfa, and Oats
“Piety, Technology, and Tradition.” Jon Askonas responds to a critique from Alan Jacobs about the difficulty of conserving traditions in our current technological environment:...
Caretaking, Decadence, and Widow Places
“Caretaking.” There are many gems in this conversation between Wendell Berry and Helena Norberg-Hodge in Orion Magazine. Here’s one from Berry:
My quarrel with “movements,” and...
Liberal Arts, Institutions, and Truth
“The Forgotten Front Porch Is Making a Comeback.” Spike Carlsen notes a promising development: “Thanks to the pandemic, the front porch is enjoying a...
Washing Dishes, Sustainable Infrastructure, and Rooted Elites
“America’s Hidden Crisis of Power and Place.” In a long and important essay, David Fontana delves into “one of the most disconcerting, least-discussed aspects...
Dorothy Day, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Jimmy Dorrell
“Dorothy Day’s Radical Faith.” Casey Cep takes the recent discussions regarding Dorothy Day’s potential sainthood as an occasion to consider her rich and bracing...
Congress, the Filibuster, and Original Sin
“On Not Knowing Esperanto.” Peter Mommsen introduces the new issue of Plough. It’s a great introduction, and while I haven’t read the full issue...