The Worthy House (Charles Haywood)

As Carl Schmitt comes back into fashion, I am reading all his works.  This is his very first, from 1919, an excoriation of those who prioritize aesthetics over politics, and who refuse to make decisions when decisions are necessary. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( ht...

This is the book that explains everything that matters at this moment. You must read it.  Although I wrote this nearly five years ago, it has not aged a day, and remains, I think, one of my most useful articles. (This article was first published January 19, 2017.) The written, original version of this article can be found here , or at https://theworthyhouse.com/2017/01/19/book-review-the-demon-in-...

My thoughts on political symbology, in particular that of Foundationalism, through the prism of this erudite book on European bears and their cultural history. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subscribe for email notifica...

James Burnham's classic work on power in politics.  Perhaps too gnostic, but nonetheless with much insight into today, particularly with respect to "democratic totalitarianism," on full display in the present moment. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.thewor...

Of masculinity, and the masculine virtues, and their loss in the modern age. (This article was first published September 27, 2018.) The written, original version of this article can be found here , or at https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/09/27/book-review-saboteur-aristocrat-became-frances-daring-anti-nazi-commando-paul-kix/ We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all r...

An analysis of how economic competence and success drove the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War, accompanied, as always, by my own thoughts on what that means for us today. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subsc...

An examination of lessons to be learned from the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, a time of ferment resembling ours,  including the crucial lesson that great change is always a step function, not gradual. (This review was first published September 23, 2018.) The written, original version of this review can be found here , or at https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/09/23/book-review-russian-revolution-new-...

It's always interesting to learn about the past, although we should not overrate the importance of justly-defeated peoples such as the Aztecs. But what is the limiting principle of moving mankind forward? The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com...

Why are the vast majority of Western reactions to the Wuhan Plague irrational? This classic work helps us understand. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subscribe for email notifications . The Worthy House does not solicit...

What is freedom? Not in the philosophical sense; that's boring and done to death. Rather, what is freedom as something that emerges from lived reality, and how does it relate to human flourishing? Through the lens of Sebastian Junger's "Freedom," a modest book only modestly successful. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and dep...

Of Robert Gould Shaw, a man who was once the embodiment of heroism, and of what heroism means, and should mean, today. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subscribe for email notifications . The Worthy House does not solicit...

Hannah Arendt's semi-worthwhile thoughts on revolution, mostly superseded or proven wrong in the fifty years since, and written in an opaque and annoying style.  (This review was first published September 13, 2018.) The written, original version of this review can be found here , or at https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/09/13/book-review-revolution-hannah-arendt/ . We strongly encourage, in these day...

The dense-but-very-worthwhile thoughts of Carl Schmitt, preeminent political philosopher, on democracy, parliamentarianism, liberalism, and much more, all with notable application for us today. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can...

Our future, if we have the will to grasp it, in a nutshell. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subscribe for email notifications . The Worthy House does not solicit donations or other support, or have ads. 

Something different--not a complete Worthy House offering, but a direction to one related to The Worthy House. I am pleased to announce that The Claremont Institute, in the form of The American Mind, a publication of the Institute, has published a Special Edition of its regular podcast. This Special Edition features, and consists of nothing but, a discussion between Michael Anton, author of the cr...

Of a forgotten book that precisely predicts our current American situation, and is a salutary reminder of the universal behavior of the Left. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You can also subscribe for email notifications . The Worthy...

The insane, yet weirdly compelling and with flashes of great insight, vision of the late Guillaume Faye, who wrote of combining the past and the future, while erasing the present.  (This review was first published September 10, 2018.) The written, original version of this review can be found here , or at https://theworthyhouse.com/2018/09/10/book-review-archeofuturism-european-visions-post-catastr...

Of the downsides, and a few upsides, of private equity and other financial engineering, viewed through the decline of Lancaster, Ohio, a condensed symbol of much that has gone wrong with America. The written version of this review can be found here . We strongly encourage, in these days of censorship and deplatforming, all readers to bookmark our main site ( https://www.theworthyhouse.com ). You c...

And now for something completely different, an eighty-year-old work about medieval philosophies. (The written version of this review was first published September 8, 2018.  Written versions are available here .)

A story of achievement and accomplishment, gripping in every detail, which highlights how far we have fallen from greatness. (The written version of this review can be found here .)

The original Man of Destiny, a possible template for our own future Man of Destiny. (The written version of this review was first published September 7, 2018.  Written versions are available here .)

Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, from 1921, is the original dystopia that spawned all other twentieth-century dystopias portrayed in literature. Despite being the oldest dystopia, it is in some ways the most relevant one for today, more so than the more famous 1984 and Brave New World. Yet its most crucial lesson is almost always ignored. (The written version of this review can be found here .)

The prolific Peter Turchin offers another attempt to quantify and mathematize history. It's not bad, and it's fairly interesting, but it's not nearly as successful as his more famous Ages of Discord. (The written version of this review can be found here .)

From 2018, one of several then-current books about the impending end of democracy; although this one is less through a Trumpian lens, and thus has not dated as badly as others. With bonus references to Skynet as a possible destructor! (The written version of this review was first published August 29, 2018.  Written versions are available here .)

Thoughts on the practical effects and social impact of small-scale agriculture, along with thoughts on large-scale agriculture and fat people. (The written version of this review can be found here .)