Political Theory

Democratic Peace Theory and the Attack on Democracy

That Russia’s invasion should have come as a surprise attack largely derives from the idealistic excess of the democratic peace theory.

Living in Truth Amid Ideological Falsehood and Political Hypocrisy
Living in Truth Amid Ideological Falsehood and Political Hypocrisy

Living in truth was Václav Havel’s basic answer to the problem of falsehood, one of the defining characteristics of the ideology and regime that ruled Czechoslovakia until 1989.

Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending
Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending

Someone like me who once lived in a totalitarian society finds it surprising and troubling that so many American churches have defined their mission as “to work for peace and justice in our world” but have neglected the defense of freedom as an essential part of their public ministry.

Charles De Koninck vs. Jacques Maritain: Theologians and Their Choices
Charles De Koninck vs. Jacques Maritain: Philosophers and Their Choices

Either Catholics consider the genius and limits of both Charles De Koninck and Jacques Maritain, or they disregard them both. The latter is unacceptable, given that surrendering the genius is too high a cost.

Cities of Men and Architecture of God: A Review of Philip Bess’ Till We Have Built Jerusalem
Cities of Men and Architecture of God: A Review of Philip Bess’ Till We Have Built Jerusalem

Till We Have Built Jerusalem is a challenging book for daring to discuss the connection between ethics and aesthetic theories of architecture and urban design, what Bess calls our “built environment.”

Christianity’s Meritocratic Dilemma: Reflections on Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit
Christianity’s Meritocratic Dilemma: Reflections on Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit

Michael Sandel’s “The Tyranny of Merit” is an invitation to rethink a seemingly self-evident thought, that our social and economic position should be dictated solely by whether we deserve to have that position.

From Hell to Humanity, and American Attitudes Toward War: A Review of Samuel Moyn’s Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War
From Hell to Humanity, and American Attitudes Toward War: A Review of Samuel Moyn’s Humane

In “Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War,” Samuel Moyn forces readers to ask whether America’s shift toward “humane” war has a dark side.

Reinhold Niebuhr and the First Image

Reinhold Niebuhr differs from twenty-first-century foreign policy realists in that he viewed an accurate and explicit portrait of human nature as the crucial starting point for any theory of international relations.

Either Meritocracy or the Common Good, Not Both: A Review of Michael Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit
Either Meritocracy or the Common Good, Not Both: A Review of Michael Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit

In The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? Michael Sandel eloquently argues a sobering idea: America can pursue meritocracy or the common good, but not both.

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