Economics & Empire

Talking Chicken

New Castle, Kentucky.  "Simplify, simplify," said Henry David Thoreau in one of his more peaceable moments, and I repeat it through gritted teeth as...

Capitalism as an Unnatural System

Ever since capitalism made its appearance in the late Middle Ages and came to dominate both production and politics in the late 18th century,...

Notes from the Congress for the New Urbanism

DENVER, COLORADO. It seems like only yesterday that the New Urbanism was really new. But this weekend, with its annual meeting here in Denver,...

Communitarianism, Conservatism, Populism and Localism: An Updated Survey

Wichita, KS Michael Sandel's giving of the prestigious Reith Lectures for the BBC (hat tip: the ever-watchful Harry Brighouse at Crooked Timber) has prompted me...

Face Right, Move Left

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is probably the most popular center-left leader in the world, with an approval rating hovering near 75 percent. Elected...

The Big (Organic) Apple

Claremont, CA. The Big Apple dreams of the organic apple. Everywhere you look in The New York Times these days, somebody is talking about organic...

The Economics of Distributism V: The Practice of Distributism

Irving, TX. Somewhere, the Sage hath said, Philosophy is easy; plumbing is hard. The Sage is correct; we should be suspicious of systems that...

Against the Environment

Alexandria, VA The other night I happened to catch the second half of an ABC special program, "Earth 2100."  The program was a "speculative...

The Need for Autarchy

Devon, PA.  Thanks in part to the series of fine essays John Médaille has provided us during the last several weeks, the implicit economic...

Corporate Capitalism and the Loss of Virtue

Blairsville, GA. The corporation is a central part of our economy. In fact, some have argued that our economic system is accurately identified as...