First Thoughts

Civil Society, Church, and State

Civil society does not represent an effort to “fix” something, whether it be the overweening state or the corrosive market. To think that it does is to miss the point.
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First Links — 10.14.15

How Technology Has Changed the Way We Relate to Each Other
Jessica Love, American Scholar

Will Michael Gove Dare to Bring Christianity into his Prison Reform Plans?
Kate Maltby, Spectator

The Crown Will Find an Heir: A Shakespearean Guide to the 2016 Democratic Primary
Emily Uecker, McSweeney's

‘Still Life' Movie Review
Janet, Three Prayers

The Pope Vs. The Wind
Alan Taylor, Atlantic

The Wonders of Freecycling

Gifting: Vintage sneakers. Hanging from telephone wire on street. All weather. You will need a ladder, but you can’t beat free!

The Perfect Protest for This Present Age

An anti-gun protest in Texas offers a superb summary of this present age. Continue Reading »

First Links — 10.13.15

Pond Scum: Henry David Thoreau's Moral Myopia
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker

Bradbury the Realist
Thomas F. Bertonneau, University Bookman

Beginning the Benedict Option Today
Leah Libresco, Patheos

There's a Way to Stop Mass Shootings and You Won't Like It
Rob Myers, MyStudentApt

Early Warning Signs of Adult-Onset Calvinism
Stephen Altrogge, The Blazing Center

Morgan Stanley Announces New “Catholic” Investment Program

Converting mainstream liberal values into Catholic commitments. Continue Reading »

First Links — 10.12.15

Our Low Tolerance for Change
Yuval Levin, National Review

Uncovering the Secret History of Myers-Briggs
Merve Emre, Digg

Do Elephants Have Souls?
Caitrin Nicol Keiper, New Atlantis

Take That
Angela Nagle, Dublin Review of Books

You Have the Rite to Remain Silent
Kevin Di Camillo, National Catholic Register

First Links — 10.9.15

Roger Scruton: ‘My tribal religion’
Michael Duggan, Catholic Herald

Ghosts in a Secular Age
Ross Douthat, New York Times

Harvard's Prestigious Debate Team Loses to New York Prison Inmates
Lauren Gambino, Guardian

Thinking Anew
James M. Banner Jr., Weekly Standard

Old Lies of the Young Turks
Christopher Atamian, New Criterion

First Links — 10.8.15

Everyday Artificial Stupidity
Geoffrey Pullum, Chronicle of Higher Education

When Friendships Fail
Wesley Hill, Spiritual Friendship

The Symphony: A Moral Vision Revealed in Music
James MacMillan, Standpoint

Embracing the Demands of Priesthood, Demanding the Embrace of Priests
Leah Libresco, DeSales Blog

A Reader's Manifesto
B. R. Myers, Atlantic

First Links — 10.7.15

The Opening of the Synod
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. CAP., CatholicPhilly

Benedict Option FAQ
Rod Dreher, American Conservative

Coates Contra Mundum
Anthony Daniels, New Criterion

Renoir Haters Picket Outside Museum of Fine Arts
Mark Shanahan, Boston Globe

Why on Earth did Jeanette Winterson Agree to Retell Shakespeare's Winter’s Tale?
Stuart Kelly, Spectator