The Utopianism of the Meritocrats
The psychological and historical appeal of meritocracy is inversely proportional to its tenability.
Matthew McManus
Matt McManus is the author of "The Rise of Postmodern Conservatism" amongst other books and a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Michigan.
halftheanswer
Half the Answer #36: Charlie Kirk and the Roots of the Far Right
Trent and Caitlin talk with political science professor Matt McManus about far-right thinkers and their journey through the past two decades. He regales the HTA audience with nuggets of wisdom from Charlie Kirk's books and other pieces of right-wing political theory he has reviewed. Half the Answer can
The Modern Far Right Canon
Modern far right thinkers style themselves as an insurgent movement against power, combining a self-pitying victimhood with exaggerated fantasies of rediscovered manliness.
Rawls in the Streets
Katrina Forrester's In the Shadow of Justice shows the radical potential—and political limitations—of John Rawls' philosophy.
neonliberalism
Neon Liberalism #31: The Inner Philosophy of the Far Right
The reactionary right is in ascendance in the Trump administration. It's easy to dismiss them as a cabal of incoherent fools scrambling for Trump's ear. But there is a deeper philosophy animating their political project: one based on a longing for an imagined aristocratic past, a
The Far Right Canon
The radical right has its own canon of intellectuals—aristocratic, resentful, and a profound challenge to liberal philosophy.
Selective Acceptance of Settled Norms: Tristan Rogers' "Conservatism: Past and Present"
Rogers has written a useful guide to the western conservative intellectual tradition that runs into trouble when it approaches the conservatives of our day.
neonliberalism
Neon Liberalism #19: Liberal...Socialism?
Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editor Paul Crider talk to Matt McManus, author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism, about a forgotten political tradition, the intellectual fallout of the Russian Revolution, and what this all means for how we think about the contemporary dangers of oligarchy and reaction. Liberal.
The Origins of Right-Wing Populism
The intellectual history of this seemingly contradictory political tendency.
Roger Scruton's Critique of Liberalism
Scruton was a serious and thoughtful philosopher whose views warrant careful engagement.
The Liberal Socialist Canon
A liberal vision with a long tradition.
A Fundamentally Anti-Democratic Tradition: Zack Beauchamp's "The Reactionary Spirit"
Where conservatives may seek to conserve their democratic systems, reactionaries by their nature seek to weaken or abolish them.