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A&G Book Club discusses Tribe by Sebastian Junger

In the latest episode of the A&G Book Club podcast, we discussed Sebastian Junger's book Tribe, which I'm afraid I didn't much like. I tried to take from it what there was of value, but as you can tell from our conversation, I found a lot of Junger's argument objectionable for various reasons. Most essentially, I think Junger's argument goes like this: people feel empty because they need to have a society that satisfies their sense of belonging, and we lack that in today's world. But what if that hunger for belonging is better addressed by bolstering a person's sense of individuality and self-reliance instead? And what if the downsides to satisfying this alleged need for belonging outweigh the benefits? In particular, Junger seems to conclude that because people feel more together in crisis situations, we ought to have a society that's in a constant crisis mentality, since that way we'll feel more belonging. He praises, for example, societies that are, in his words, "extensions of the battlefield." But do we want our society to be an extension of the battlefield? That seems like a bad idea to me.

Almost as bad as "group sleeping."

In our discussion, by the way, I mention one of my favorite novels, Steel Beach by John Varley. You should read it.

Anyhow, you can listen to the podcast here.

The Supreme Court's Janus decision merits an encore

George Will's column this morning is about the Goldwater Institute's petition to the Supreme Court in Fleck v. State Bar Association of North Dakota, which challenges the constitutionality of compulsory bar membership. This is the second time the Institute has asked the Supreme Court to take the case; the first time around, they granted our petition, but rather than hear the case, they ordered the lower courts to reconsider their original decision in light of Janus. The lower court refused to do that, so now we're back asking the Court to strike down laws that force lawyers to join bar associations and also to hold that laws that force you to pay dues that include funds for political activities--but then allow you a refund if you don't like that--aren't good enough. Janus makes clear that you have the right to decide first whether they take your money for political activities, and that they can't charge first and ask later, the way the North Dakota bar does. Anyway, here's an excerpt:

If the court grants certiorari in Fleck’s case, it will decide whether, as a condition of employment, attorneys can be compelled to join a politically active trade association, and whether that association can presume members’ acquiescence in the association’s spending on political activities that are not germane to the association’s core function, which is to be neutral guardians of the legal profession’s proprieties.

Janus forbids public-sector unions, which like state bar associations elsewhere are associations given power by government action, from either presuming consent or placing on those who do not consent the burden of proactively demanding refunds of their money spent by the associations on political advocacy. Furthermore, the court acknowledged 30 years ago that mandatory bar associations are analogous to unions regarding First Amendment (speech and association) concerns.

Read the rest...

Why should lawyers be forced to fund their political adversaries?

In Real Clear Politics this morning, I have an article on the Goldwater Institute's latest cert. petition to the Supreme Court--asking the justices to declare that compulsory bar associations are unconstitutional. Excerpt:

North Dakota lawyer Arnold Fleck practices family law. So it made sense that he’d be interested when a ballot initiative was proposed to change how courts handle child custody cases. He supported the initiative and even donated $1,000 to the “yes” campaign.

Unfortunately, he was also donating to the “no” campaign.

That wasn’t his choice. But, like all North Dakota lawyers, Fleck was required to join the state’s bar association and pay it hundreds of dollars per year for membership dues. The Association then used some of that money to oppose the measure — just as it often takes positions on political issues and even lobbies the state legislature. So in the same campaign in which he supported the “yes” side, Fleck was also forced to chip in for the Bar Association’s $50,000 donation to the “no” side.

Read the rest...

Frederick Douglass: Power, Privilege, and Patriotism

I spoke this week at Pacific Union College in Angwin, California, on the theme of "Frederick Douglass: Power, Privilege, and Patriotism." Rather than recite the facts of Douglass's life, I decided to examine his political philosophy and how his conception of citizenship related to these three contentious concepts, "power," "privilege," and "patriotism." Douglass, I argue, took a perspective drastically different from the fashions of our day. You can read my remarks here.

Update 6/21/21: I had not known that the speech was recorded and is available as a podcast here.

Zora Neale Hurston, Undefeated

The new issue of The Objective Standard includes my in-depth look at the novelist Zora Neale Hurston, and especially at her last, and too-neglected final novel, Seraph on the Suwannee, which I argue bears some remarkable similarities to Gone With The Wind and The Fountainhead. I also examine Hurston’s conflict with other writers of the Harlem Renaissance, especially Richard Wright, whose novels she called “as ugly as a devil’s doll-baby.” Here’s an excerpt:

Although race plays a significant role in Seraph, that is not its primary focus. Instead, it is devoted to a broader theme: the difference between the envious mentality—what Hurston elsewhere called “poverty of soul”—represented by the main character, Arvay Meserve; and the enterprising, individualistic, ambitious mindset embodied by her husband, Jim. Seraph also represents Hurston’s complete transformation from a naturalist to a full-fledged romanticist.

Read the rest...

Talking about Frederick Douglass on "Our American Stories"

The latest issue of the radio show "Our American Stories" consists of a discussion with me about the life and ideas of Frederick Douglass. (I actually recorded this a long time ago, and had forgotten about it.) Cato has posted the audio online:

Speaking in Napa, Ca., about Federick Douglass next week

I'll be speaking at Pacific Union College in Napa a week from tomorrow on "Frederick Douglass: Power, Privilege, and Patriotism." More details here.

Frederick Douglass and the American Dream

The new issue of Cato Journal includes my article "Frederick Douglass and the American Dream," which is adapted from my speech at Reason Weekend last year.

Discussing Bronowski with "A Leap of Doubt"

A few weeks ago I talked with Nathan Dickey on his podcast A Leap of Doubt about the life and ideas of Jacob Bronowski. We got into some fun discussion about Bronowski's philosophical views about knowledge, morality, and other things that aren't well known even by those familiar with this marvelous thinker. You can listen here.