What Is American Political Theory?

Love it or loathe it, political theory is everywhere.

It’s in your social media feed, your classroom, and even your student union.

If you want to understand political theory better, where do you start?

You Can’t Understand America Without the Founding

In this week’s Intercollegiate Review article, we pulled the beginning of George W. Carey’s excellent little book A Student’s Guide to American Political Thought.

Read Carey’s brief intro to learn:

The questions at the heart of political theory
Why the American Constitution isn’t a sacred document—and how we should view it
Why times of crisis produce political theory

Read Now

CATEGORY: POLITICS (6 min)

Civil War Begins When the Constitutional Order Breaks Down

Do you think there could be a second civil war in America?

Many Americans do.

In the American Conservative, Michael Vlahos puts that belief to the test.

A Template for Civil War

Vlahos argues that there are four questions you need to ask:

What is civil war, really?
Why do political/constitutional orders break down?
How is violence essential to building them back up?
How close is the U.S. to such a breakdown?

So, are we really lurching toward civil war? Read this article and discuss with your friends.

Read Now

CATEGORY: HISTORY (90 min)

The West and Islam: The Theology Behind the History

Talking about Islam in Western countries is fraught with tropes and stereotypes.

Too many people, left and right, think they understand Islam.

So listen to this talk by the eloquent Robert R. Reilly, a scholar of Islam.

Reilly introduces you to Islam’s philosophical and theological narrative, and shows you how we can talk about it in a meaningful way.

Listen Now

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