The Modern Independent

About This Blog

Welcome to The Modern Independent. This blog was conceived as a site for commentary and analysis of American culture and politics from a historical perspective. It seeks to take current issues and address them within a larger context with the ultimate goal of prompting readers to engage with the world differently and to entice them to approach polarizing issues with an open mind.

The late moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre once argued that contemporary moral and political disagreement was necessarily interminable because every rational justification or attempt at objective analysis was ultimately undergirded by emotive expressions of value. This blog does not shy away from MacIntyre's conclusions; rather, it embraces it.

The values on which the commentary and analysis in this blog hangs includes a commitment to social justice and economic security; a politics of compassion and equality; the idea that sensible regulation can actually protect markets, promote competition, encourage efficiency and enhance liberty; and a fundamental belief that government should not be viewed as a foreign entity operating in opposition to the people it purports to represent, but as a place where people come together to address issues of mutual concern.

Above all else, however, this blog--and its author--values intellectual honesty and the pursuit of new and interesting ideas, even if they are unpopular.

Enjoy!