Blog Posts

Rhetorical choices define our options in life. What you see conceptually is, in a sense, what you can aim at in terms of strategic behavioral choices. And so, in this era of so-called “Critical Race Theory,” I say we lay bare the choices the theorists are making. It’s...

The problem with natural law theories can be simply stated: They beg the question they need to resolve.
Consider John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. In chapter two, when discussing punishment for violation of the law of nature, he writes: “it would be...

The cancer attacking the fabric of American political life is not Marjorie Taylor Greene. It runs far deeper than that. There is a broader crisis of legitimacy in the land. Congresswoman Greene, like former president Donald Trump, is a symptom, not the cause. Ad hominem attacks on both...

There is magic in bookstores of all types, but the magic is especially profound in a used bookstore. A discerning reader will find not only invitations to new worlds and intoxicating ideas, but the books themselves have a history. I’ve often marveled at the marginalia left by...

I’ve been tempted from time to time to become a judge. Being relieved from the grind of eking a living from the raw suffering of others is the principal draw: imagine never having to ask another human being whose life hangs in the balance for a fee? And think of the ability to do...

I’ve turned during this season of pandemic-induced hysteria to Saint Augustine for solace. His Confessions is one of the greatest books ever written. Augustine understood sin; he experienced the transforming power of grace; and, he wrote of his relationship with God in terms at once...

Artificial intelligence, that is, the ability of a computer to learn and either to augment or to replace human activity presents profound legal challenges for the criminal law. What to do when your computer assists you in accomplishing a goal, and the result turns out to be a violation...

I pre-ordered Edward Snowden’s Permanent Record, his autobiographical memoir of how he came to be – well, what did he become? Is he a traitor? Or a hero? Such is the confusing character of our times that I could see, prior to diving into the book, a case for both...

After today’s Senate debate on whether to confirm the nomination of Andrew McDonald as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, I made a resolution: I intend to contribute to, and work for, any candidate who seeks to replace Senator Len Fasano, R-North Haven.
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Corey Menafee wants his job back at Yale University. He is also hoping he doesn’t face criminal charges for his on-the-job conduct. His hopes should be dashed, unless, of course, we are now prepared to recognize political correctness as a defense to criminal conduct.
On June 13,...