The point is not that one nation-state attacked another. It is precisely that the Caliphate attacked one of the cities in… let’s call it the Cosmopolis, the collection of cities that are the capitals of what was once Christendom.

The shocking thing about Michel Houellebecq’s Submission is not that it isn’t anti-Muslim. The shocking thing is that it’s not—or not primarily—anti-Islam.

— Post #5 Richard Dreyfuss to Susannah Black July 7, 2015 Now I think you’re going to LOVE the 1632…

Part IV: The Beautiful City

Part III: Might, Right, & Last Best Hopes

Part II: Important, If True

The first of a five-part epistolary exchange between the actor Richard Dreyfuss and Providence associate editor Susannah Black exploring such issues as the potential of civics education to combat the appeal of groups like ISIS, the place of religion in public life, and the roots of the ideas of the American founding.