Patrick Deneen
Patrick J. Deneen teaches political theory at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of several books, most recently Why Liberalism Failed.
Articles by Patrick Deneen
New World Order
Events of the past several years up close could be compared to individuated and discrete dots, each circumscribed by itself alone, each self-contained and even comprehensible. The housing bubble. The…
What Grandpa Knows
"Jaywalking" is a hilarious and terrifying sketch in which Jay Leno "tests" fellow Americans on their basic knowledge of history, geography, etc. Of course, we see the most outrageously incorrect…
Studies Show the PoMoCons are Wrong
Well, at least this is the suggestion of the perceptive Jason V. Joseph at "Musings in the Public Square," who offers a succinct and clarifying summary of the disagreement between…
It’s a Wonderful Subdivision
Tonight the classic Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life" is airing on network television, as good an occasion as any to re-publish here my reflections on the film. My…
When Left is Right
Some thinkers on the Left have sniffed the smelling salts and are emerging from their love-fest to notice that the New Boss is increasingly indistinguishable from the Old Boss. As…
Packing for Montana
As reported in today's Washington Post, in an article entitled "In Debate Over Nation's Growing Debt, a Surplus of Worry." Leonard Burman, [a Syracuse University ] economist, says he has…
Obama the Pragmatist
From today's edition of Inside Higher Education: In remarks kicking off a White House forum on job creation and the economy, President Obama repeatedly stressed the role of higher education.…
Wendell Berry on the Old Victrola
Wendell Berry will appear on this morning's Diane Rehm Show. He is scheduled for the second hour of the show, beginning at 11 a.m. If you don't receive the show…
Nuts
"What a good country or a good squirrel should be doing is stashing away nuts for the winter. The United States is not only not saving nuts, it’s eating the…
The Control of Nature
As reported in today's New York Times, New Orleans plaintiffs in a civil suit against the U.S. Government are elated at a ruling that has held the Government liable for…
Homo Economicus
On today’s campuses, the reigning principle on most academic matters is to avoid meddling in the affairs of others. Beyond very broad curricular requirements, we are to allow respective experts…
Ethos or Movement?
Overheard last night at the American Spectator Gala. "Conservatism must remain a movement. If it ceases to be a movement, it will become nothing more than an ethos." --R. Emmett…