Introducing Self in Society
Here I want to explore the dynamics between the individual and the society of which the individual is a part, with a view toward human flourishing. My interests, then, are wide-ranging. I’ll comment on culture, politics, philosophy, and the social sciences, bearing in mind that, as a generalist, I need to approach specialized fields cautiously.
I’ve been writing about culture and politics for a long time, and I’ve been searching for a new space to call home. I set up a Substack for Colorado Pickaxe, where I’ll write about Colorado-specific issues, and that worked so well I decided to set up this separate Substack for Self in Society. (You’re welcome to join both lists.) Eventually I’ll move all my other writings over to my personal web page, where I also host the Self in Society Podcast. [April 10 Update: I have since moved the podcast over to Substack.] (I’ll post updates about the podcast here on the Substack. I hope to get back to more-regular podcasting soon.)
I plan to make articles (including “Roundups”) free to read even as I welcome paid subscriptions to help support my work. I’ll limit comments on articles to paid subscribers. I’m super-busy right now, as I’m finishing up a book, homeschooling my six-year-old, and writing about regional issues as well. So I’m not going to promise a regular schedule. I aim to post here at least weekly.
One important thing about me is that I’ve embraced, and then rejected, several ideological perspectives. I started life as an eveangelical Protestant Christian, the religion in which I was raised. Now I am an atheist, and I’m working on a book critical of Christianity (and of religion more generally). My interest in free-market economics and in Ayn Rand led me to libertarianism and then to Objectivism (Rand’s philosophy). I continue to agree with libertarians on various policy issues and with Objectivists on many philosophic issues. However, I no longer count myself a libertarian, and I wrote a book explaining why Ayn Rand’s metaethics is wrong. I have an ideology (everyone does)—roughly I’m a secular humanist with a pro-reason, pro-individual rights perspective—but I also try to be aware of how ideology can go wrong and become dogmatic.
I hope you’ll join me here.