R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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Gregg on the Capitalism Debate

Samuel Gregg offers a thoughtful assessment of my debate with Robert Miller about economic freedom: its effects and prospects. Gregg is certainly right to point out that we need a moral argument for capitalism, not just a utilitarian one. The fact that it produces wealth is a good thing. But . . . . Continue Reading »

9 May 2013

IUDs, MOOCs, and Money

Pamela Fox makes really cool stuff. So says Tessa Miller on  Life Hacker , a website the “curates [web-speak for exercising editorial judgment] tips, tricks, and technology for living better in the digital age.” I’m sure that’s true, about Pamela I mean. But she’s more . . . . Continue Reading »

2 May 2013

Lord Byron’s Foot

Poet George Green isn’t somebody I’d want to meet in the Muse’s dark alley. If his wonderful new book of poetry, Lord Byron’s Foot , is any indication, he swings a mean verbal broadsword. Here’s a short poem. It’s part of a series titled “Warhol’s . . . . Continue Reading »

25 Apr 2013

Selective Discipline

We live with interesting dissonances. For example, it’s fascinating that young people now accept economic discipline with little protest. That’s something I wouldn’t have predicted when I was in college when people still worried about being imprisoned in what Weber called the . . . . Continue Reading »

24 Apr 2013

Bespoke Identity Formation

We’re in the midst of a big shift, no doubt. Check out this report from the Nation : “ NHL Takes ‘Historic Step’ for LGBT Equality .” The piece speaks of sports as a bulwark of “heteronormative socialization,” with the implicit suggestion that this, like . . . . Continue Reading »

15 Apr 2013

Rod Dreher on the Sexual Revolution

In a very fine article in the American Conservative, ” Sex After Christianity ,” Rod Dreher explains how the growing support for gay marriage reflect deep and profound changes in our moral imaginations. He writes, correctly I think, that “gay-marriage proponents succeeded so . . . . Continue Reading »

12 Apr 2013

What Ted Olson Doesn’t Get About Marriage

During his oral argument before the Supreme Court, Ted Olson observed that marriage is a “fundamental right.” This is a confused statement. It’s true that marriage is very important, fundamental, in fact. It’s part of the DNA of society, and for most people the path in life . . . . Continue Reading »

28 Mar 2013

Greek Revival

A friend sent me a recent piece in the New York Times about super-athlete Kilian Jornet Burgada. He leaps tall buildings in a single bound, etc. Super-extreme sport, the athletic hero, the perfected body . . . are we seeing signs that our post-Christian culture is reverting to classical ideals? . . . . Continue Reading »

21 Mar 2013

Pope Francis and Argentine Politics

I continue to be fascinated by the Argentine reactions to the election of Cardinal Bergoglio. Jorge Fernández Díaz titled his recent column ” El papa peronista .” Juan Domingo Perón is the defining personality in modern Argentine history. He was a protean figure, hard to . . . . Continue Reading »

18 Mar 2013

New Pope’s Conservative Populism

News flash: The revolutionary left does not like the new Pope. An interview with Brazilian sociologist and Marxist philosopher Michael Lowy offers a particularly pure example of the reasoning behind the Latin American Left’s efforts to discredit the new pope . His reasoning is . . . . Continue Reading »

15 Mar 2013