The Worthy House (Charles Haywood)
Charles Haywood
I am here to give you back your future. Human flourishing in the coming post-liberal West. The hour is late, and Moloch is within the gates. Foundationalism. Reality-focused writings, often on history and politics.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 9, 2019 • 12min
The Age of Eisenhower: America and the World in the 1950s (William I. Hitchcock)
Reviewed William I. Hitchcock's "The Age of Eisenhower." Short version of the review: Eisenhower OK but defective; 1950s good; Baby Boomers bad. (The written version of this review was first published February 16, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Sep 7, 2019 • 13min
Singapore: Unlikely Power (John Curtis Perry)
I wanted to learn about Singapore, where limited democracy works. But I didn't learn much from this book. (The written version of this review was first published February 13, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Sep 5, 2019 • 19min
The Improbable Wendell Willkie: The Businessman Who Saved the Republican Party and His Country, and Conceived a New World Order (David Levering Lewis)
Some thoughts, mostly grouchy, on the habit of Republicans to betray. Not a new phenomenon, as this book shows. But a fatal one. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Sep 3, 2019 • 29min
Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline (Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson)
This book is earnest and valuable, but completely inadequate and gap-filled. (The written version of this review was first published February 12, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Sep 1, 2019 • 26min
A Humane Economy: The Social Framework of the Free Market (Wilhelm Röpke)
Wilhelm Röpke's 1960 "A Humane Economy" offered prescriptions for combining free markets with necessary limits. Valuable thoughts in today's flux. (The written version of this review was first published February 3, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Aug 29, 2019 • 23min
A History of Venice (John Julius Norwich)
Why Venice, interesting of itself, has much to say to us today. (The written version of this review was first published January 31, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Aug 27, 2019 • 27min
Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism (James Stevens Curl)
For a century, we have been subjected to ugly architecture. How did we get here, and what can be done about it? (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Aug 25, 2019 • 10min
The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny (William Strauss and Neil Howe)
Steve Bannon loves this book. I don't. (The written version of this review was first published January 22, 2019. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
4 snips
Aug 23, 2019 • 53min
On the “Dark Enlightenment,” and of Curtis Yarvin / Mencius Moldbug
My generally negative take on the lines of thought that fall under the umbrella of the "Dark Enlightenment." (The written version of this review was first published June 27, 2018. Written versions, in web, PDF and ebook formats, are available here. The web version also contains extensive comments, including responses from me.)
Aug 21, 2019 • 22min
American Genesis: A Century of Invention and Technological Enthusiasm (Thomas P. Hughes)
This thirty-year-old book talks of a century of American technological progress that ended twenty years before it was published. What does that century of technological grandeur tell us about today? (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
