Political Philosophy

Review: ‘Reformed Social Ethics’ by Herman Bavinck… “Though technology and circumstances have changed since Bavinck wrote, he was wrestling with many of the same basic questions that drive today’s political discourse.” - TGC

“Tanenhaus’s massive, authorized biography, which has sharply divided readers. Buckley was a complicated man, and this is a complicated book. Senior Writer Richard Reinsch and Contributing Editor John O. McGinnis offer their takes on this major new publication.” - L&L

“Christianity is absolutely compatible with a neutral, procedural liberalism—in fact, Christendom birthed that political system. But Christianity isn’t entirely compatible with a secular, value-laden version of liberalism.” - TGC

“[C]onservatives in America are struggling with an essential question… whether we will continue on the path of the traditional conservative agenda that has defined our party and, in so many ways, our nation throughout our history… or whether our party will follow the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles.” - C.Leaders

“There does exist a general definition of his Christian realism. It’s a political theory based on three Christian ideas: that we are basically sinful, that we are free because made in the image of God, and that we are called to love God and our neighbor.” - Acton

The United States in particular has always had a moralizing streak that was destined to take on an international bent. This should come as no surprise for a nation founded by the Puritans. - Providence

“Self-styled ‘post-liberal’ conservatives see the American founding as the flawed product of the radical, secular Enlightenment. They argue that the American experiment in ordered liberty was already rotten the moment Jefferson put pen to paper in 1776.” - Acton

“While I agree that the struggle in politics is ‘theological’… it is not merely a matter of the theology of left and right at odds with one another. The problem is that unless men submit themselves to the God who made all things, they can’t see the world properly.” - Don Johnson

“liberalism in the tradition of Locke, Kant, and the Founders…. Its central philosophy is that all persons are born free and equal. Its operational principles include the rule of law, pluralism, toleration, minority rights, distributed authority, limited government, and (subject to the other requirements) democratic decision-making.” - Persuasion

“while the political right may see itself in opposition to such an approach, populism’s rise suggests otherwise. For Nietzsche, the embodiment of the will to power was the Übermensch (the Overman or Superman), who embodied the ideals we now see played out in populist leaders.” - TGC