DEMOCRACY AND ITS DISCONTENTS By EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel National Affairs Sorting out this season of democratic disorientation and charting the path of democratic renewal will require a sober assessment of democracy’s present discontents and a refresher course in some basic truths about the nature of the democratic project and the conditions necessary for its flourishing. (This essay is adapted from Mr. Weigel’s 17th annual William E. Simon Lecture. An audio recording of the lecture is available here.)  CONTINUE READING A CRISIS OF LIBERALISM? By EPPC Adjunct Fellow Eric Cohen The Weekly Standard There is much to admire in Patrick Deneen’s book Why Liberalism Failed, which combines impressive learning in the history of political theory and genuine attention to the complex realities of contemporary life. But the book is also deeply flawed. Read More VIDEO: CULTURE AND ART IN A POPULIST AGE   In October 2017, EPPC hosted a one-day conference that explored the immediate future of the arts within the dynamic and controversial political environment that has emerged in recent years. EPPC Senior Fellow Bruce Cole, who died in January, spoke on “Consonance and Dissonance in the Music and Art World.” Click here to view a video of his remarks, as well as a video featuring highlights from other presentations at the conference.    Please make a donation today to support the work of EPPC's scholars in defending American ideals. IDENTITY AND ASSIMILATION By EPPC Fellow Luma Simms National Affairs Assimilation has proven so difficult lately not because American culture is too cohesive and self-confident but because it has lost the capacity to tell its own story coherently. Read More (See also Mrs. Simms's piece for National Review Online titled "Is Immigration Good for Immigrants?")  HELP WORKERS WITHOUT A TRADE WAR By EPPC Senior Fellow Henry Olsen Wall Street Journal Free trade benefits America and its trading partners. But President Trump is right that it doesn’t benefit everyone. Supporters of global trade ought to think about other measures governments can take to reduce the pain many individuals and communities experience. Read More FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND MAN OF STEEL By EPPC Senior Fellow Mona Charen Syndicated Column President Trump’s tariffs reflect his preoccupation with heavy industry—and his failure to arrive at a basic understanding of economic policy. Read More GETTING READY FOR SYNOD-2018 By EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel Syndicated Column The Church in the United States has had some success addressing youth ministry and vocational discernment, despite challenging cultural circumstances; so perhaps some American leaders in those areas could be invited to Synod-2018 to enrich its discussion, on the Synod floor and off it. Read More TRUST, FACTS AND THE POST-TRUTH POLITICAL MOMENT By EPPC Senior Fellow Peter Wehner Knight Foundation As a species, humans are ever in search of data that confirm what they want to believe, what they already believe. The inclination to do this is particularly strong in times of division and dispute, when society seems to lack reliable authority figures in various fields. And Americans are plainly living in such a moment now. Read More WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT REPUTATION By EPPC Resident Scholar James Bowman The Weekly Standard In trying to modernize our understanding of the “elusive concept” of reputation, a new book loses sight of its historical meaning. Read More LEARNING FROM THE WHITE ROSE By EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel Syndicated Column There is a lot of talk in the Church these days about “conscience,” and Blessed John Henry Newman is invoked by many prominent personalities in those debates. So it might be useful for all concerned, including Church leaders in the Munich where the White Rose youngsters in 1943 gave their lives for the truth, to ponder Newman’s influence on these contemporary martyrs. Read More MUCH MORE THAN ECONOMICS By EPPC Senior Fellow Mona Charen Syndicated Column Once a week, for twelve years, economist Russ Roberts has been taking the dismal out of the dismal science in hisEconTalk podcast. Read More WHAT IS EDUCATION GOOD FOR? By EPPC Visiting Fellow Ian Lindquist The Weekly Standard Bryan Caplan’s The Case Against Education lays the groundwork for readers to think anew about education, what it does and ought to do, what place it holds and ought to hold in American society. Read More LONG WEEKEND AT KAMALA’S By EPPC Senior Fellow Henry Olsen City Journal Supporters of Bernie Sanders are surely sincere in their conviction that superdelegates cost their man the 2016 nomination. But in their rush to make the path straight for his return, they are clearing the path for a progressive with more cross-racial appeal, like Kamala Harris, to push him aside. Read More A LITTLE TOO MUCH REALITY IN THE TRUMP REALITY SHOW By EPPC Senior Fellow Mona Charen Syndicated Column President Trump vehemently denies accusations of groping and affairs, but this week it seems that the elaborate and expensive efforts he has undertaken to conceal his behavior are unraveling a bit. Read More LONELINESS IS FUELING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP. By EPPC Fellow Luma Simms The Federalist Social despair more so than economic despair is the main driver behind our current opioid crisis; the task before us looms large, but there is a way to repair and rebuild social capital. Read More Share Tweet Forward DONATE TO EPPC