Barry Brownstein
Civility: The Invisible Glue of Society
Adam Smith recognized that true human flourishing requires more than riches.
Burnt Toast, Stoics, and Finding Growth in Small Frustrations
A viral mental habit about burnt toast echoes Stoic philosophy: adversity — no matter how small — is an opportunity to practice discipline, perspective, and self-mastery.
Theocrats, Socialists, and the Totalitarian Impulse to Plan
Attempts to impose a specific moral order on complex societies require coercion. Whether religious or secular, power undermines liberty.
Invest in a Growth Mindset: The Antidote to America’s Black-Pilled Nihilism
We all question whether our lives have meaning. But what shapes us most may be our own beliefs about intelligence and experience.
Economics of Gratitude: What New Yorkers Forgot About Prosperity
Gratitude is the first principle of prosperity. Demanding something for nothing misunderstands both economics and human nature.
Mao’s Children: How Revolutionary Zeal Is Still Warping Young Minds
From Mao’s China to modern campuses, passions unchecked by reason have destroyed freedom and humanity alike. Leonard Read and David Hume help explain why.
Adam Smith on Duty and ‘the Great Division’ of the Human Spirit
Adam Smith saw that civilization advances or declines based on our sense of duty and our ability to rise above fleeting emotions.
New Yorkers Flirt with Socialist Grocery Store Scheme
Government grocery stores have been tried before, but markets stock our store shelves with affordable staples for less than two percent profit.
Nazis Teach Us How to Defeat Them
Freedom from coercion, not illusive freedom from scarcity or fear, will protect us from the dangerous escalation of antisemitism.
The Steep Price of Declining Civility
Alexandra Hudson’s ‘The Soul of Civility’ reminds us that our everyday moral habits shape not just personal character, but the very health of civilization.
