In the Tradition of Liberty.
In the Tradition of Liberty.
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FUSION’s archive of full-length features.
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The idea of the information state—and the corresponding suspicion that unseen technological forces shape our beliefs about politics, culture, and even reality—pervades modern culture. But how should we really understand the digital instruments of power that govern today’s world? In The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control, author Jacob Siegel traces the origins of the information state and its effects on political life. As technological development continues, questions about the information state’s effects on individual autonomy and democratic consent will only grow more urgent. Whether the system contains…
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There was a period in the 1980s-1990s when neo-noir adventures, often parodies, sometimes tied up with comic books or fantasy stories, came out about every year, often directed by or starring impressive artists. Wim Wenders’ Hammet, Carl Reiner’s Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (Steve Martin), Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Bob Hoskins), Dick Tracy (produced, directed by, and starring Warren Beatty), Dead Again (Kenneth Branagh), Cast A Deadly Spell, The Rocketeer, The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) all come to mind. Then with the arrival of Marvel, all of Hollywood turned into that…
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After 250 years of independence, the meaning of the American Revolution is still contentious. Coming so soon after the peak of woke hysteria in 2020, there has been a flood of bad history following the wake of the 1619 Project. As we celebrate the Semiquincentennial, it is the perfect time to reflect on the true origins of American independence. This means taking seriously the history of ideas. Socio-economic change, personal interests and prejudices, and pure dumb luck certainly played their part as they have done throughout history. But there was…
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(This essay is the fifth in a series of reflections on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence in honor of its 250th anniversary. The series will run until July 4, 2026.) I. “We, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. . .” The final section of the Declaration gives answers that would turn into questions of their own. At the end of its argument, the Declaration declares that the Americans are indeed a “We”—the “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” But the very form of this declaration forces us…
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(This essay is the fourth in a series of reflections on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence in honor of its 250th anniversary. The series will run until July 4, 2026.) I. “Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.” The Declaration’s case has been made as to why the king’s actions (and inactions) violate the “self-evident” truths which the Americans hold. He has ignored or attacked the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. His government, therefore, has failed “to secure these Rights.”…
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Many writers level the following challenge at liberalism: it must either betray itself or fail to defend itself. Remain tolerant, and it will fall to the intolerant; become intolerant, and it will cease to be liberalism. Remain neutral, and it will fall to the militant; become militant, and it will cease to be liberalism. Critics of liberalism often press either (or both) of these charges. To be a liberal, they say, is to be a loser, a toothless or gutless naïf. Or to be a liberal is a mere pretense,…
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(This essay is the third in a series of reflections on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence in honor of its 250th anniversary. The series will run until July 4, 2026.) I. “Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.” My previous meditation explained the “political philosophy” of the Declaration—what the Declaration declared about political life in general. I ventured to call it a political theology, since it is grounded in the Nature’s…
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If Donald Trump had a motto, it might be: Have carrots ready but start with sticks. With Learning Resources v. Trump, in which a 6-3 Supreme Court majority struck down Trump’s largest group of tariffs, America’s judiciary has disarmed the president of one of his favorite sticks. He will no doubt find others. Yet the justices have struck an important blow for our constitutional separation of powers. They have made it clear that presidents who set themselves up as independent lawmakers generally make themselves law-breakers. This message comes across loud and…
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(This essay is the second in a series of reflections on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence in honor of its 250th anniversary. The series will run until July 4, 2026.) I. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident…” This may be the one phrase from a historical text that most Americans have memorized. That is strange, because it is so confusing. Do Americans know they have absorbed the greatest riddle of the Declaration? Or has it sunk so deeply into our collective mind because we know it is…
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We’ve all seen the headlines: Johnny can’t read anymore. Reading scores are plummeting. Forty-six percent of Americans didn’t read a single book in the past year. Young people no longer read for pleasure. The ability of most college students to comprehend even a paragraph of decent English prose is all but non-existent. We don’t even need to click the links or read the studies. We all have plenty of our own anecdotes to back them up at this point. And we all know why: It’s the screens, dummy. But what we’ve seen so far is…