June 12th, 2013
By Jacob Rennaker Recent remarks by Pope Francis have caused quite a stir. Reuters summarized the essence of this message, saying “Atheists are good if they do good.” But the Pope’s remarks actually went much further. According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis stated, “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with [...]
March 20th, 2013
J. Max Wilson has written an excellent post on the limits of the LDS doctrine of prophetic fallibility at his site Sixteen Small Stones. It is absolutely true that the church does not believe that its prophets and apostles are infallible. There is no infallibility doctrine. The prophets are undeniably human beings and subject to normal [...]
March 14th, 2013
When I was an undergraduate at Cornell , then Yale and a graduate student at Oxford, then Yale once again, the American university was an exceedingly lively place in which students were encouraged to explore a diversity of perspectives. The people in charge were, by and large, New Deal liberals — moderate in manner, open [...]
February 17th, 2013
Last fall France’s Chief Rabbi, Gilles Bernheim, published a courageous and incisive argument against homosexual marriage and adoption. In December Pope Benedict publicly praised the Rabbi’s essay in the strongest terms. That essay has now been published by First Things magazine somewhat abridged and lightly edited. It was translated from the French by Ralph Hancock, [...]
February 17th, 2013
John Dehlin asks Professor Hancock if he can sympathize with Mormon Progressives who have brought up controversial statements or positions of past church leaders in an honest effort to understand the truth. Dehlin believes that Church leadership treated these members unfairly or even hostilely, in some cases. He asks Dr. Hancock if he can understand [...]
Our Latest Podcasts
- Big (Silly) Idea: The MOOA June 17, 2013 Peter Lawler
- Directing "Affirmative Action" to Those Who Most Need and Deserve It June 11, 2013 Peter Lawler
- Marriage and Reading as Elite Customs June 6, 2013 Peter Lawler
- Intellectual Self-Help for Humanists June 3, 2013 Peter Lawler
- Memorial Day May 27, 2013 Peter Lawler
- BigDumbJerk : We're All Meter Maids Now June 18, 2013We've all seen them: cars illegally, or at least improperly, parked. Sometimes it's perfectly able-bodied persons parking in handicapped spaces. Sometimes it's cars taking up too much of another space; sometimes it's as simple as ignoring a "No Parking" sign.If you're like me (not a curse I'd bestow upon anyone), you […]
- John Yoo : The Scalia-Thomas Divide on Arizona June 18, 2013Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas, who usually interpret the Constitution the same way, came out differently yesterday on the reach of Congress's power over the "time, place, and manner" of federal elections.Arizona's voters had adopted a requirement that state residents who registered to vote had to provide proof of citizenship, while fe […]
- Casey : Questions For Contributors - The Impact Of Ricochet June 18, 2013About two years ago, Claire Berlinski asked us "Has Ricochet Changed Your Mind About Anything?" This is an interesting question for all of us but I'd like to ask it (and other questions) of the left-siders - those who are immersed in and connected to the political world. - Has Ricochet changed your mind about anything? - How has your participa […]
- Nathan Harden : Steven Seagal and Vladimir Putin: Best Friends Forever June 18, 2013When you think about it, this makes perfect sense: When six members of Congress went on a fact-finding trip to Russia in May to learn more about the brothers accused of the Boston Marathon bombings, they sought the help of a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin: Steven Seagal. The aging star of bone-snapping action films such as Hard to Kill and […]
- Troy Senik, Ed. : Anatomy of Decline June 18, 2013When I moved back to California from Washington D.C. four years ago, I remember being surprised by the fact that this state -- which had effectively weaponized liberalism and turned it on itself -- didn't garner more serious, thorough analysis from national conservatives. Thankfully, in the years since, City Journal has turned its eyes west and devoted […]
- tabula rasa : Do We Even Want to Learn from History? On Squandering an Inheritance June 18, 2013Over the past couple of weeks, Iâve been reading the last book of Rick Atkinsonâs superb Liberation trilogy, Guns at Last Light, which tells the story of the western front in World War II (Normandy through the end of the war). Among other things, it has helped me understand the different locations in Normandy, France, and Belgium in which my father (Firs […]
- Pejman Yousefzadeh : IRS Follies: More on the Supposed Non-Scandal June 18, 2013Another blow to the theory that "rogue agents" in a local IRS office were responsible for targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny: An Internal Revenue Service supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, including some requests […]
- George Savage : POTUS in Berlin June 18, 2013Business travel brings your correspondent to Berlin this week, just in time for Barack Obama's speech tomorrow at the Brandenburg Gate. Security is everywhere in evidence as finishing touches are being made to a massive grandstand in Pariser Platz on the eastern side of the gate, just opposite the ubiquitous Starbucks coffee shop. Thankfully, this is n […]
- Judith Levy, Ed. : Iran in Africa June 18, 2013In view of the election of the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani to the Iranian presidency -- and the general eagerness to believe that Iran has turned a page in its relations with the rest of the world -- it might be advisable to take a look at Iran's ongoing campaign to export terror.On June 20, 2012 (almost exactly a year ago), two Iranian nationals -- […]
- Nicegrizzly : Update: Stay-at-Home Mom Wisdom Needed June 18, 2013A little over four months ago, I shared my fears regarding impending motherhood. I had been constantly hearing comments about how hard it was going to be and what a difficult transition I had ahead. I was also concerned that my need for structure and social interaction would not be met, because getting dressed, prettied up, and out of the house would be so d […]
- Dave Carter : Reflections on Overload June 18, 2013Barstow, California: The photo I shot of a gorgeous sunrise this morning on the Arizona / New Mexico state line belies the pace of a life on overload. One of the interesting things about this job is the sheer amount of activity that is crammed into a short span of time. It was only four days ago that I was 1,700 miles away from here, at home in Lake Charles, […]
- Western Chauvinist : What's the Point of Citizenship? June 18, 2013The Supreme Court is playing for the home team again. First it was John Roberts making the fed's case for the Obamacare penalty being a constitutionally justifiable tax. Now the Court has ruled that federal Motor Voter registration supersedes and nullifies Arizona's Voter ID law. Just whose rights do the Supremes think they're protecting anywa […]
- Blue Yeti : Uncommon Knowledge With Peter Robinson: Rand Paul -- Building A Coalition That Can Win June 17, 2013Sen. Rand Paul (R., KY) sits down with Peter Robinson to discuss the origin of his political philosophy, the debate over immigration reform, the roll out of Affordable Care Act, his stance on abortion, and the future of the Republican party. "Uncommon Knowledge" is produced by the Hoover Institution. […]
- Adam Freedman : SCOTUS Strikes Down Arizona Voter Registration Law June 17, 2013Today, the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona voter registration law that required would-be voters to provide -- the horrors! -- proof of citizenship. Despite the depressing result, there are actually glimmers of hope in the seven-to-two decision written by Justice Scalia (the case is Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona). What gave Arizona the craz […]
- Steven Ross : Obama’s Fiscal Policy: The Ke$ha Doctrine June 17, 2013Before the Obama presidency turned into a series of scandals worthy of a Lifetime miniseries starring Meredith Baxter, the ballooning of the national debt was a top ten critique. The GOP accused the Democrats of spending money we donât have and ignoring the consequences for future generations. Some have suggested that this is the inherent failure of Keynes […]
- Ricochet Editor's Desk : Jim Pethokoukis and John Taylor Debate Quantitative Easing June 17, 2013On Friday, our own Jim Pethokoukis was on CNBC's The Kudlow Report debating the Hoover Institution's John Taylor over the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing policy. Here's how it played out:Â Who do you think got the better of the argument? […]
- Troy Senik, Ed. : Scott Walker, the GOP's Secret Weapon? June 17, 2013From Beth Reinhard at National Journal: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker polls near the bottom of would-be presidential contenders. Unlike potential rivals, you won't find him on the cover of Time magazine or slow-jamming the news with comedian Jimmy Fallon.But he's a conservative Republican who won election in a blue state, survived a brutal recall cam […]
- Bruce Carroll : Whom Does Lindsey Graham Think He Works For? June 17, 2013As many of you know, I seriously considered and eventually declined to run in 2014 against Lindsey Graham. That doesn't stop me from continuing to encourage someone else to run and scream at the top of my lungs about how terrible Graham is as an elected senator from the state in which I live.In fact, a day doesn't go by lately where I don't sc […]
- Christopher Riley : A Future for Small Towns? June 17, 2013A few weeks ago, I journeyed to the medium-sized, Midwestern county seat my grandparents call home. As is the case in most communities its size, the local economy is quite sluggish. I'm not usually bothered by the town's mild poverty, but this visit, however, was oddly depressing. Much of the populace (undoubtedly brought out by the warm weather) […]
- Mollie Hemingway, Ed. : Give Me Your Criminals, Your Convicts Yearning To Be Free June 17, 2013While most reporters are giving the Senate Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration bill all the scrutiny one gives a birthday card from one's grandmother, the Washington Examiner's Byron York is taking a closer look.He points out that the bill's supporters claim a thorough background check will be required before winning legal status. âThey […]
- Ralphism Redivivus May 11, 2013Naturally I appreciate the kind and intelligent attention to my ideas from Peter Lawler, Richard Reinsch, and Carl Scott. (I would not be dismayed in the unlikely event that the term “Ralphism” caught on, though I might have suggested a term more along the lines of “the Hancockian wisdom.” But be that as it may…) […]Ralph Hancock
- “Gay Marriage” and the End of Lockean Conservatism (Part 3, Conclusion) January 31, 2013Finally, as an example of such vision of substantive goods (as evoked by Roger Scruton, above), let me share a tidbit from an important essay against same-sex marriage (made world famous by the Pope’s high praise) authored by France’s chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim. I have just finished translating this essay, very soon to appear in […]Ralph Hancock
- “Gay Marriage” and the End of Conservative Lockeanism (Part 2 of 3) January 30, 2013(This is a continuation of a post from yesterday; it will make most sense in that context.) When Maggie Gallagher answers John Corvino’s individualist argument for “gay marriage” (in Debating Same-Sex Marriage), she relies mainly on a good and important argument for man-woman marriage based upon universal human and social necessities: “Marriage is a word [.. […]Ralph Hancock
- “Gay” Marriage and the End of Conservative Lockeanism (Part 1 of 3) January 29, 2013Tom West – who, I want to make clear at the outset, can easily run circles around me in his knowledge of Locke’s writings – does well to remind us of the (now) conservative, pro-family conclusions that Locke draws from his very modern philosophical premises. And these conclusions are (or should be) still relevant to […]Ralph Hancock
- Politics and Christianity: The Rule and The Exception (Continued) December 11, 2012(Please read my previous post first, if you haven’t.) Try to follow me here: Christianity, I was arguing, necessarily implies an ambivalence towards any moral-political culture. On the one hand, it reinforces much conventional moral content by declaring it to be the object of a divine command: Thou shalt not steal, commit adultery, etc. At […]Ralph Hancock
- Politics & Christianity: the Rule and the Exception December 10, 2012The essence of Christianity is to love one another, to have compassion, not to judge, but to forgive, to accept – no? Applied to politics, the implication seems obvious: unlimited tolerance, equality of lifestyles, etc: in a word, extreme liberalism. What’s wrong with this picture? Everything, conservatives will say, and they will have a point, […]Ralph Hancock
- Come Let Us Reason Together January 13, 2011The outrage in Arizona has sparked another cycle of mutual recriminations between liberals and conservatives that points up what seems to be a growing chasm running through our political culture. Each side sees itself as faithful to good old American principles, and sees the other side as tending (at least) towards a dangerous extremism. It […]Ralph Hancock
- Propadeutic to a Thumotic and Erotic Ontology December 11, 2010[The following is the preface to my forthcoming The Responsibility of Reason: Theory and Practice in a Liberal-Democratic Age (Rowman & Littlefield)] Propadeutic to a Thumotic and Erotic Ontology. This is the fanciful and facetious subtitle I used to try out on friends when asked about the book I was writing. It was a serious […]Ralph Hancock
- THE CONSTITUTION AT RISK? Founding Principles and Today’s Politics November 13, 201017-20 November 2010 A Conference Hosted by the Tocqueville Project of Brigham Young University, with Funding from The John Adams Center for the Study of Faith, Philosophy and Public Affairs and The Sutherland Institute. Is the Constitution as understood by the Founders at risk? If so, then how so, and what caused this? And would […]Ralph Hancock
- Overheard at Yale: Pomocon Ontology II November 9, 2010[Conclusion of the astute synopsis by Mr. Entel, followed by his even more astute questions:] Plato, Hancock contends, enacts this yoke between being and knowing by seemingly affirming the simple superiority of theory to practice, thus suppressing the question of the relation between the good of thinking and the common good by appearing to answer […]Ralph Hancock
Books by Our Authors
The Responsibility of Reason by Ralph C. Hancock
The Conservative Foundations of the Liberal Order by Daniel J. Mahoney
Modern and American Dignity by Peter Augustine Lawler
Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift by Paul A. Rahe