In You More Than Yourself

In You More Than Yourself

In December, Time magazine’s annual “Person of the Year” honor went not to Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Kim Jong-Il or any of the other usual suspects, but to “you”: each and every one of us using or creating content on the World Wide Web. Time’s cover showed a white keyboard with a mirror for a computer screen,… Continue reading In You More Than Yourself

Denying the Facts, Finding the Truth

Denying the Facts, Finding the Truth

ONE of the pop heroes of the Iraq war was undoubtedly Muhammad Said al-Sahhaf, the unfortunate Iraqi information minister who, in his daily press conferences during the invasion, heroically denied even the most evident facts and stuck to the Iraqi line. Even with American tanks only a few hundred yards from his office, he continued… Continue reading Denying the Facts, Finding the Truth

Defenders of the Faith

FOR centuries, we have been told that without religion we are no more than egotistic animals fighting for our share, our only morality that of a pack of wolves; only religion, it is said, can elevate us to a higher spiritual level. Today, when religion is emerging as the wellspring of murderous violence around the… Continue reading Defenders of the Faith

Let’s be Realists, Let’s Demand the Impossible!

Let's be Realists, Let's Demand the Impossible!

One of the most repulsive moments of the present Middle East conflict occurred after one of Hezbollah’s rockets killed two Israeli-Arab children: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah pointedly apologized only for these deaths, thus making it clear that there is nothing to regret in the deaths of Israeli civilians. Doesn’t this make clear the ethical difference… Continue reading Let’s be Realists, Let’s Demand the Impossible!

The Liberal Communists of Porto Davos

The Liberal Communists of Porto Davos

In the last decade, Davos and Porto Alegre have emerged as the twin cities of globalization. In Davos, the exclusive Swiss ski resort, the global elite of managers, statesmen and media personalities meets under heavy police protection, trying to convince us (and themselves) that globalization is its own best remedy. In the sub-tropical, Brazilian city… Continue reading The Liberal Communists of Porto Davos

Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency

Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency

The fifth season of “24,” the phenomenally successful Fox television series, premiered on January 15. Composed of 24 one-hour episodes, the show chronicles the workday of the fictitious L.A.-based Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) as it desperately attempts to thwart a catastrophic terrorist attack. (In season four, they stopped a stolen nuclear weapon from exploding above… Continue reading Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency

A Revolution ne s’autorise que d’elle même

Which, then, is the dimension of the law that the law cannot admit publicly? The best way to discern it is through a logical paradox deployed by Jean-Pierre Dupuy in his admirable text on Hitchcock’s [amazon asin=B0087ZG7R0&text=Vertigo]: An object possesses a property x until the time t; after t, it is not only that the object… Continue reading A Revolution ne s’autorise que d’elle même

Joker Apart, Interview with James Harkin

It is a sparkling Sunday morning in early autumn, and one of the world’s leading public intellectuals, dressed in a mod jacket and sandals and swigging from a can of Diet Coke, is giving me the benefit of his experience on cheap London hotels. “This one” – he points to it – “is pretty reasonable.… Continue reading Joker Apart, Interview with James Harkin

Lenin Shot at Finland Station

Why is the flourishing genre of ‘what if?’ histories the preserve of conservative historians? The introduction to such volumes typically begins with an attack on Marxists, who allegedly believe in historical determinism. Take this latest instalment, edited by [amazon asin=0753818736&text=Andrew Roberts], who has himself contributed an essay on the bright prospects that would have faced… Continue reading Lenin Shot at Finland Station

Give Iranian Nukes a Chance

Give Iranian Nukes a Chance

On August 2, France, Britain and Germany announced that they might cut off negotiations with Iran and pursue punitive sanctions if the country followed through on its threats to resume its uranium enrichment program. The announcement came a day after the Washington Post reported that American intelligence agencies believe the country is a decade away… Continue reading Give Iranian Nukes a Chance