May Update

Hey everybody,

Here’s where things stand as we head into May. I’ll be at a conference next week, where I’ll also be broadcasting—so you can expect the usual paintings to continue in your feed. This is the event where I’ll be delivering my education policy seminar.

In terms of new topics, I’m working on an extended piece examining how the welfare state produces institutional systems, and how those systems have contributed to the rise of modern populism. Over time, these kinds of systems tend to become resistant to outside criticism. It’s not surprising, then, that many people—across both the left and the right—have grown dissatisfied with the current state of affairs.

I’ll also be expanding this into a broader argument about how the globalist movement misjudged cultural differences and often failed to account for domestic considerations. In my view, a great deal of the modern world can be understood.

Our Sunday cultural series will shift focus as well after the view of history ends, moving from historical analysis to an exploration of Shakespeare’s treatment of death—particularly the question of whether one should move on from loss or continue to hold on. It’s an intriguing theme that appears in several of his sonnets.

As always, I encourage you to share feedback or suggest topics for the podcast. The goal is to respond directly to the questions and comments I’m receiving. To start, I recently engaged with a response from a self-described amiable far-left listener, which shaped part of the latest episode. I’d just ask that everyone keep discussions as polite and constructive as possible for the benefit of all readers and listeners.

As always, if you’re enjoying the content, make sure you’re subscribed. And if you’d like to support the work and see more of it, consider upgrading to a paid subscription—it makes a real difference.