Cult of the Cutting-Edge

by Peter Wood

Ruben Östlund's film The Square questions the assumption that art should aspire to be “cutting-edge.” Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Can Moral Monsters Make Good Movies?

by Peter J. Leithart

Should we really despise certain movies simply because they're made by despicable men? Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Letters

by Various

CONTEMPT OF COURT James Nuechterlein (“Remembering Peter Berger,” October) feels that the 1996 First Things symposium on the judicial usurpation of politics was inappropriate because it cast doubts on the legitimacy of American political order. As it is, however, the problem is still with us. If . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Neither Pop Nor Culture

by Ron Austin

Let me begin with a confession. I spent almost a half century producing pop culture, mostly for television. This admission is an act of penance but also suggests a degree of generational responsibility. Maybe a half century in the entertainment industry isn’t sufficient for a full understanding, . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Our Secular Theodicy

by Matthew Rose

I live in Berkeley, one of the most religious cities in America. Its churches are being converted into mosques and Buddhist temples, but its one true faith endures. A popular yard sign states its creed: “In This House, We Believe: Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, No . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Politics After Liberalism

by Phillip Blond

The Politics of Virtue: Post-Liberalism and the Human Futureby john milbank and adrian pabstrowman and littlefield, 418 pages, $39.95 Among the ideas that compete to determine the world’s future, one can count Catholicism, Islam, and (until recently) Marxism. But only one is dominant, . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Liberal Tradition, Yes;
Liberal Ideology, No

by R. R. Reno

There are rumors of economic and political heresy at First Things. My reassessment of Michael Novak’s Spirit of Democratic Capitalism earlier this year raised suspicions that I’m guiding the journal in an “anti-capitalist” direction. Some say the magazine flirts with . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Against Capital Punishment

by Paul J. Griffiths

The Death Penalty, Volume Iby jacques derridatranslated by peggy kamufuniversity of chicago, 312 pages, $38 The Death Penalty, Volume IIby jacques derridatranslated by elizabeth rottenberguniversity of chicago, 304 pages, $45 Courting Death: The Supreme Court and Capital Punishmentby carol s. . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

The Appomattox Compromise

by Shalom Carmy

On a “what if” radio program sixty years ago, I heard the newly inaugurated President Lincoln persuade Robert E. Lee that his loyalty to the United States Army should outweigh his allegiance to the state of Virginia. In short order, Lee quells the rebellion; in 1868 he is elected to succeed . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Culture is Downstream of Politics

by Maggie Gallagher and Frank Cannon

Walk into any room full of Christian conservative donors, and someone will say, “Politics is downstream of culture.” Every head in the room will nod. Nothing is more entrenched as conventional wisdom among Christian conservatives. Like most truisms, this one is only partly true. As people change . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017