The Frankfurt School and the Allure of Submission For Fromm, Horkheimer, and Adorno, this project could only end in a desire for mass death. This is because, in a nihilistic sense, death is the ultimate form of order, stripped of all the anxieties and challenges which come with life. Matt McManus 4 Sep 2019 · 9 min read
The Argument for Equality and Fairness Some progressives may indeed be primarily motivated by resentment, but that does not in itself invalidate the argument to pursue greater equality. Matt McManus 14 Aug 2019 · 11 min read
Human Dignity and Human Rights But it does mean that arbitrary factors, such as whether one is born into a wealthy family or happens to be part of some historically elevated demographic, should not determine where people end up Matt McManus 13 Jul 2019 · 8 min read
The Inner Nature of Freedom The primarily political differences, therefore, emerge over how best to realize freedom, and of course, what freedom itself means. Matt McManus 22 Jun 2019 · 11 min read
Michael Oakeshott and the Intellectual Roots of Postmodern Conservatism For instance, postmodern conservatives are reticent to trust rationalistic arguments made by cosmopolitan “elites” who stress that we have moral obligations to all individuals, regardless of where they come from. Matt McManus 25 May 2019 · 10 min read
Why We Should Read Heidegger The ascendancy of technical reason and instrumentalization, Heidegger thought, generated highly inauthentic individuals who were unable to live meaningful lives. Matt McManus 4 May 2019 · 11 min read
Why We Should Read Nietzsche My sense is that Nietzsche is best understood as a radical individualist; one who insists passionately that our duty in life is to become what we are. But what kind of person is that? Matt McManus 22 Apr 2019 · 11 min read
Why We Should Read Marx Marx was an acute social analyst whose insights have appeared in novel places. Even conservative and pro-capitalist figures—from Max Weber to Joseph Schumpeter—have at times grudgingly conceded the accuracy of his analysis on many points of importance. Matt McManus 17 Mar 2019 · 10 min read
Why We Should Read Rousseau It is certainly the case that Rousseau was not an unambiguous friend to the liberal Enlightenment. Matt McManus 2 Mar 2019 · 11 min read
How Should We Read the Totalitarian Philosophers? This is particularly true of Marx and (especially) Heidegger, who gave concrete support to parties and proposals that resulted in the deaths of millions of people. Matt McManus 30 Jan 2019 · 10 min read
On the Value of Truth Very few of us can actually deal with too much truth, so we rarely enquire too deeply into the justifications for our beliefs. Matt McManus 16 Jan 2019 · 11 min read
The Frankfurt School and Postmodern Philosophy The claim that the work of postmodern philosophers is a continuation of Marxism by other means is quite strange, both philosophically and politically. Matt McManus 3 Jan 2019 · 9 min read
On God and Politics: Comparing Žižek and Peterson Both claim to not believe in some God who literally exists as an independent being. Both believe that a proper conception of God engenders support for the individual and personal freedom. Matt McManus 31 Oct 2018 · 11 min read
The Virtue of Nationalism—An Internationalist's Critique The second and most impressive section of the book lays out Hazony’s principled arguments for adopting a vision of the world order characterized by an 'order of independent nation states.' Matt McManus 5 Oct 2018 · 11 min read
Understanding Postmodern Conservatism: A Reply To Aaron Hanlon Professor Hanlon argues that, far from independently causing Trump, many postmodern theorists can actually help us understand the rise of Trumpism. Matt McManus 4 Sep 2018 · 11 min read