As the world watches in horror at the war in Ukraine, and the specter of a devastated Ukrainian economy and infrastructure lurks in the shadows, there is nevertheless good news still to be found. And it starts with free peoples and free markets. Read More… Thirty years ago, the world was in a transition that felt almost euphoric. The Soviet Union had been disbanded munism in much of the rest of the world was in retreat. Liberal democracies were ascendant,...

A new book about Jewish identity in Hollywood films inadvertently highlights much that is wrong in cultural criticism today. Unfortunately, it is too great an example of the problem to be much help in offering a solution. Read More… Literary Hub is one of the most widely read websites devoted to literature and the arts. Recently, pleted a poll of the nation’s academic presses. Its aim was to find out which of the books they’re putting out they are proudest...

When a proud boxer turns to crime and succumbs to a betrayal that ends his life, an insurance investigator is on the case. What would drive a man to such ends when all he wanted was honor? Read More… My first film noir essay was on The Maltese Falcon, whose ambitious protagonist, private detective Sam Spade, chooses justice over an uncertain promise of happiness, the love of a dangerous woman. I turn now to The Killers, whose protagonist does not...

The Lenten fast is not an end in itself but an opportunity to unite with the poor, to work with an eye toward the needs of others, and to anticipate along with our brothers and sisters the feast e—not only on Easter Sunday but also in the Kingdom e. Read More… Before beginning his earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ, “led up by the Spirit” (Matt. 4:1), wandered in the desert for 40 days, fasting, praying, and finally being tempted...

As a genre of dark intrigue, stoic protagonists, and femmes fatales, film noir has continued to beguile and entertain filmgoers for decades. But does it also have something to say about the relationship between happiness and justice? Read More… Recently I spoke at Hillsdale College on film noir as part of a program that introduced audiences to four of the most impressive movies in the genre that defined the tough detective in America and the less popular type of doomed...

A recent poll reported that most Gen Z Americans didn’t think it necessary to bring up a child in a faith tradition for that child to “learn good values.” But as with most polling on religious convictions, the real takeaway is not what you think. Read More… In a classic 1976 episode of All in the Family, the TV character Archie Bunker took it upon himself to baptize his grandson at his local church. He did this secretly, as he...

The attempt to undermine investor activism is a thinly veiled ploy to maintain the status quo and inhibit investors’ ability to increase shareholder value. It’s a gift placent boards and underperforming executives. Read More… In July 2020, then–presidential candidate Joe Biden stated that “it’s way past time we put an end to the era of shareholder capitalism.” What precisely he meant by that was not entirely clear from the context of his remarks. But if now-President Biden meant that shareholders...

As the academic world returns to in-person operations, the Scala Foundation is making the case for beauty and wisdom on a practical level. Read More… A great deal of ink has been spilled over the declining character of American higher education. From critical theory to extremism among college student bodies, many issues have reached temperatures that leave those inside the collegiate world deeply concerned for its future. Thinkers mentators lament a rise in “illiberalism”—a phenomenon in the academic world of...

G.K. Chesterton wrote that when men stop believing in God, then don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything. Time to take a look at what that “anything” is in 2022. Read More… To say that the Western world is increasingly secular and materialistic is news to no one. But our modern tragedy isn’t “godlessness” but rather what has filled the void of the old religions for many. No one rejects transcendence in a vacuum—like Indiana Jones’ idol, something always...

Jordan Peterson, writer, psychologist, and Joe Rogan fave, is working Bible stories into his talks, seeking to flesh out his ideas of what it means to grow up. So why does he want us to e more childlike? Read More… I settled into my seat just a few rows back in the mezzanine and surveyed the crowds surging across the performance hall. As I had expected, the audience posed largely of young adult males, though there was a substantial number...