In The Rise of the New Puritans, Commentary Magazine associate editor Noah Rothman explains how, in pursuit of a better world, a relatively new and fervent strain of progressivism, in a “burst of moral enthusiasm” is ruining the very things which make life worth living by attempting to craft a society full of verbal trip wires and digital witch hunts. Football? Too violent. Fusion food? Appropriation. The nuclear family? Oppressive.
As the social scientist Yuval Levin wrote in a review of the book, what’s interesting about this New Puritanism is that “it is not rooted in a Christian ethic, at least not explicitly, and therefore that its worldly severity is not moderated by humility before the divine.”
In response to this phenomenon, Rothman encourages us to spurn a movement whose primary goal has become limiting happiness. The book uncovers the historical roots of this war on fun and reminds us of the freedom and personal fulfillment at the heart of the American experiment.
Subscribe to our podcasts
Rise of the New Puritans | Amazon
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Russell Kirk: A Consensus of First Principles
The Social Teaching of Pope Benedict XVI
Taxes, Spending, and Powerball Winnings
Who Was Lord Acton?
The Beatles and Economics (Rebroadcast)
The Godly Path to Adam Smith’s Liberal Plan
Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom
The Wounds of Beauty
Who Is To Blame For Poverty?
Mary Kissel at Acton Institute’s 2022 Annual Dinner
The Gift of Disillusionment
Men Without Work
No Free Lunch
The Next American Economy
Conservatism and Its Current Discontents
Blockchain Technology with Alexander Romanowski
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
Free Trade and Globalization
Judaism and the Market Economy
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Dairyland Frights
The Passionistas Project Podcast
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL