American Agonistes

Chri stopher Caldwell’s essays advance exquisite understandings of politics, culture, and institutions not with syllogistic arguments, essays laced with ideology, but with observations alone. Caldwellian reflections are typically inserted with precision after a string of uncomfortable facts has been listed. They untidy our collective wisdom, and sear the essay in the reader’s mind. His judgment on a subject frequently becomes the measuring rod for additional arguments and theories on the same matter.  In a 2017 First Things essay “American Carnage” on the opioid crisis that cataloged its unprecedented devastation compared with prior drug abuse episodes in American history, came this demanding reflection on our ineffectual response. Read Full Article »