Concerning the nature of man and the state, and how best the latter can be structured to augment the former.
I’ve published a new academic article in Economic and Political Weekly on Gandhi’s attempt to recover the varna system so as to generate time for spiritual and civic activity and produce an Indian subject capable of self-rule, or “swaraj.” It’s available here: https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/20/special-articles/varna-system-gandhis-theory-civic-education.html
I have a new piece out in the Platypus Review on the state. I’ve been excited for this one to come out. It’s been brewing for a while. You can read it here: https://platypus1917.org/2024/05/01/beyond-bonapartism-breaking-statephobic-thought-taboos/
Continue reading “Beyond Bonapartism: Breaking Statephobic Thought Taboos”I have a new piece out for Sublation on the left’s attempt to reconstitute itself around the war in Gaza. You can read it here: https://sublationmedia.com/the-left-cannot-make-use-of-the-gaza-war/
There have been many interesting books and articles recently about the demise of the millennial left. Here are just a few. I like this material–I think we could do with some more reflection about everything that’s gone wrong over the past ten years. I do, however, think there’s something that has been under-emphasized in these stories. This something is the internet. The millennial left existed at a distinctive moment in internet history. When that moment ended, the millennial left ended with it.
Continue reading “The Millennial Left as a Moment in Internet History”I have two new essay out for Isonomia. The first, “On Whether Various Economic Schemes Can Improve Citizens’ Political Capabilities,” reflects on the different strategies liberal theorists employ to ensure democratic citizens have the capabilities necessary to participate effectively. I argue that all these strategies fall short, because there is a reluctance on the part of liberal theorists to grapple with the cost of creating citizens who really can perform the necessary political work. It was a ton of fun to write, and you can read it here:
The second, “Federations and Foreign Policy: The Quest for Koinon,” explores why political federations like the United States stop expanding. Instead of continuing to incorporate more states as co-members, these federations begin building military bases in foreign states and compelling those states to become clients. I argue that federations have historically been based rather heavily around security and this has made it difficult to use them to reform the global economic system. While elites are willing to pay the cost of integrating territory when this is necessary for their own survival, they become more resistant when this integration is no longer strictly necessary. You can read it here:
