Climbing the Charts

As of this moment—Tuesday at 2 p.m.—The Reactionary Mind is #1 in new releases for political philosophy and modern philosophy. Veteran journalists and other cynics would tell you that’s not actually a big accomplishment.  It’s easy to top those (very niche) charts on Publication Day.  Which is… uh, true.  But I’m going to enjoy it

How to Be a Reactionary

[Today is Publication Day for The Reactionary Mind, so I thought I’d share my favorite part of the book, from the conclusion.  Here’s my summary of how to be a reactionary. Enjoy.] Above all, though, be happy. Live well, and go to Heaven. If you can do nothing else, do that. The reactionary is one

Lament For The Pickup Truck

“What are you doing?” Mr. Hall shouted from his tractor. He owns the farm next to my friend Dan’s. Dan was hoping Mr. Hall wouldn’t come by that part of the field today. Oh well. There was Dan, shoveling manure out of the back of his Ford Explorer. “I’m shoveling manure,” he replied. The old

In Praise Of Country Living

[In my latest for The American Conservative I talk about urban, progressive liberals who love the countryside… but not the country way of life. Here’s a sample.] What’s sad is that these urban progressives will never experience (much less understand) the sort of simple, rustic existence to which they feel so drawn. Groff writes, In

Rod Dreher on ‘The Reactionary Mind’

[Over at my Substack, I posted some advanced praise for The Reactionary Mind. Here it is, in case you missed it.] Rod Dreher, author of Live Not By Lies: The word “reactionary” suffers from bad press, but as Michael Warren Davis writes, “a reactionary is born every time a Westerner recognizes how entrenched the dogma of

Pope Francis and the Cult of Progress

You all know by now that I don’t like to contradict the Holy Father.  And I’m not going to do so now.  Not quite. But my friend Mike from Ireland just emailed me, pointing out something funny in Francis’s recent comments to a group of Slovakian S.J.’s: “We are suffering this today in the church:

Thank God for Rednecks

When it comes to our civil liberties, the first line of defense is an old Marine with a Coors Light in one hand and a Remington 870 in the other. He’s got his mask pulled down over his chin and a Winston Red dangling from his lips. He has eight Trump stickers on the back

The Granite Republic

America’s greatest newspaper, the New Hampshire Union Leader, is conducting a reader survey asking if the Granite State should secede from the United States of America.  I’m voting yes.  Obviously. As a matter of fact, over eighty percent of respondents have also voted for independence, as of 2 p.m. Wednesday. Extraordinary. Please, if you’re not

The Reactionary Cure for COVID

Joel Salatin, self-declared lunatic farmer, is one of my living heroes. He and Bill Kauffmann changed the way I think about freedom in the modern world. They’re libertarians, but not porn-and-pot libertarians.  They don’t confuse liberty with license.  They’re not looking for the State’s permission to be wicked.  They strive to be good men, and

A Life Worth Living

Obituaries are a tricky thing to write, because most of us lead unexceptional lives. I hope that doesn’t sound cruel. It’s true of me, and it’s probably true of you. If I were to narrate the events of my life, they would be of no interest to anyone. A good obituary usually tells us as