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    Wright's Writing

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    On stupidity and the excesses of wokeness
    • Apr 8
    • 9 min

    On stupidity and the excesses of wokeness

    One of the first laws of human existence, or at least of existence in class societies (determined by anti-human institutions that mold...
    Resisting fascism (a book review)
    • Oct 10, 2021
    • 9 min

    Resisting fascism (a book review)

    [This review was published at H-Socialisms.] The elevation of Donald Trump onto the national political stage in 2016 provoked a heated...
    Against liberal "pluralism"
    • Jul 10, 2021
    • 15 min

    Against liberal "pluralism"

    In the time of Trumpism, Michael Paul Rogin’s great book The Intellectuals and McCarthy: The Radical Specter (1967) shouldn’t be as...
    The rise of right-wing libertarianism since the 1950s
    • Apr 5, 2021
    • 30 min

    The rise of right-wing libertarianism since the 1950s

    Sometimes as I read books I like to simultaneously summarize them, to facilitate the intellectual digestion. And also to post my notes...
    The commodification of education
    • Sep 5, 2020
    • 5 min

    The commodification of education

    David Noble's essay "Digital Diploma Mills," written in the 1990s, is a brilliant and still timely critique of the automation and...
    Critical remarks on academia and philosophy
    • Aug 30, 2020
    • 37 min

    Critical remarks on academia and philosophy

    I was recently skimming old notes of mine and came across the following thoughts from a two-volume book on "humanism" I wanted to write...
    The remarkable perversity of idealism
    • Aug 27, 2020
    • 21 min

    The remarkable perversity of idealism

    Many years ago, when I was a simple boy who thought he ought to know a lot about Hegel, I took masses of notes on his philosophy. Below...
    Thou shalt not worship intellectuals
    • Aug 25, 2020
    • 9 min

    Thou shalt not worship intellectuals

    When I read old books or articles that are totally forgotten despite being brilliant, it saddens me. Siblings of Donald Trump publish...
    I wish stupidity were less common
    • Aug 21, 2020
    • 9 min

    I wish stupidity were less common

    This is going to be a whiny, self-pitying post. Just to warn you. The question is sometimes asked, "Why are stupid people frequently so...
    The heartbreak of staggering self-consciousness
    • Jul 30, 2020
    • 16 min

    The heartbreak of staggering self-consciousness

    Today I came across a copy of Dave Eggers' Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and was reminded of myself in my twenties, when I was...
    Appreciative and not-so-appreciative thoughts on cultural theory
    • Jun 8, 2020
    • 7 min

    Appreciative and not-so-appreciative thoughts on cultural theory

    [These notes, for what they're worth, are from, respectively, 2010 and 2018.] Reading Raymond Williams’ classic Marxism and Literature...
    Rambling reflections on Camille Paglia
    • Jun 6, 2020
    • 17 min

    Rambling reflections on Camille Paglia

    I've been reading Camille Paglia's collection of essays Sex, Art, and American Culture (1992). I disagree with a lot of Paglia's...
    On the fight against misogyny
    • Jul 27, 2019
    • 5 min

    On the fight against misogyny

    As a leftist, "I wish we could all just get along." Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe it would get boring pretty quickly. But a little less...
    A little misanthropy can be a healthy thing
    • Jul 24, 2019
    • 19 min

    A little misanthropy can be a healthy thing

    This is from a letter Sigmund Freud wrote to his pastor friend Oskar Pfister: I do not break my head very much about good and evil, but I...
    A plea for honesty in discussions of sex and gender
    • Jul 19, 2019
    • 7 min

    A plea for honesty in discussions of sex and gender

    A recent article of mine, called "Political Correctness Is Getting Out of Hand," elicited some angry emails. Not from people who...
    Against "the postmodern novel"
    • Dec 12, 2018
    • 4 min

    Against "the postmodern novel"

    [Here's an excerpt from a book on 'humanism' I wanted to write back in 2006. It's from a passage in which I was arguing against...
    Critical thoughts on "The Alchemist"
    • Jul 13, 2018
    • 4 min

    Critical thoughts on "The Alchemist"

    [Notes from 2006.] Reading The Alchemist, the novel that has sold tens of millions of copies. “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s...
    The importance of John Brown
    • May 29, 2018
    • 8 min

    The importance of John Brown

    [Grad-school notes...] I'm reading about John Brown--David Reynolds' John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the...
    The Destruction of Reason
    • Mar 23, 2018
    • 1 min

    The Destruction of Reason

    Just a quick note: I recently posted a long summary of and commentary on Georg Lukacs' masterpiece The Destruction of Reason, which has...
    Collectivism
    • Mar 11, 2018
    • 9 min

    Collectivism

    [Excerpts from this book.] Collectivism comes in both noble and evil forms. In the former, the principle of the individual is paramount;...
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    Wright's Writing

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