by W.D. James To turn, turn will be our delight 'Till by turning, turning we come round right. -‘Tis the Gift to Be Simple, American Shaker Hymn ‘Revolution’ will be a central concept in any thinking about political change. Usually, it is thought of in terms of an abrupt, usually violent, change in political regimes. … Continue reading Revolution
by W.D. James For whatever reason, I was recently drawn to pull a book off the shelf I had not read in ten or fifteen years and go back through it. It is Rufus Matthew Jones’ The World Within (1918). Jones was an early twentieth century Quaker scholar who focused on mysticism, especially that of … Continue reading The Inner Light
by W.D. James In the 1960s and 70s the concepts from Hinduism that gained prominence in Western cultural circles were things like Dharma, Karma, Yoga, Kundalini, and of course Tantra (emphasizing the versions that center on sexual practice). Further, there was a rush of gurus who came from India to the West. Many of the … Continue reading The Kali Yuga: Keeping the Faith in a Dark Age
by W.D. James And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee … Continue reading Father Christmas is Part of the Resistance
by W.D James We must continually remember our past and our stories. Most societies have a recognized role for the person or people whose job it is to remember the clan or tribe’s story. As a student and teacher of Western philosophy, I often feel like that is a large part of my vocation. To … Continue reading What R.H. Tawney remembered
by W.D James During the first few months of this year I watched between 50 and 100 low budget Bigfoot (and related creatures) movies, some of them multiple times. Now, even allowing for my previously confessed penchant for low budget horror films in general (and I watched quite a few other films in that category … Continue reading Can Bigfoot Save Us? A reflection and Halloween movie recommendation
by W.D James How can a large, complex society be natural? We can clearly see how a relatively simple tribal type of social structure would be an organic or natural form of social organization. Aristotle gives us a classical philosophical account of organic development from the family to the village to the self-sufficient city state … Continue reading Natural Complexity (Reviving Federalism, Part 3)
by W.D James Three of the most important factors in the emergence, growth, and maintenance of organic social order are free agreement, mutual aid, and love. Typically, a particular thinker will emphasize one above the others. In his foundational political treatise on federalism of 1603, Politica, Johannes Althusius brings them all into play and weaves … Continue reading Agreement, Mutual Aid, and Love (Reviving Federalism, Part 2)
by W.D James Federalism is not a sexy concept. I think that is unfortunate. I can’t help but notice that with the rapid onslaught of authoritarian and totalitarian developments in Western Democracies over the past eight or so years, the United States has fared a little better than others. To limit ourselves to the Anglosphere, … Continue reading A Republic of Republics of Republics (Reviving Federalism, Part 1)
by W.D. James To see a World in a Grain of SandAnd a Heaven in a Wild FlowerHold Infinity in the palm of your handAnd Eternity in an hour - William Blake, Auguries of Innocence Can we justify being inactive? Byung-Chul Han, in his Vita Contemplativa, speaks of a ‘politics of inactivity,’ a ‘utopia of … Continue reading The Politics of Friendship (Chrono-Politics, Part 6)
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