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The Biden Tragedy
“A government of laws and not of men.” The phrase first appeared in the work of the English republican James Harrington, in 1656. John Adams adored it…
Jul 7
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David A. Bell
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The Biden Tragedy
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June 2024
Le vieux Paris n'est plus
“The old Paris is no more. The form of a city changes more quickly, alas, than a mortal’s heart.” Is this still true? Baudelaire published his classic…
Jun 5
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David A. Bell
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Le vieux Paris n'est plus
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May 2024
Mob or Crowd? 1789 and 2024
Angry, out-of-control mob or orderly, purposeful crowd? It’s an old question, asked in relation to countless events in modern times. The classic case…
May 7
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David A. Bell
10
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Mob or Crowd? 1789 and 2024
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April 2024
The Trump Trial
As I’ve noted before, I’m writing an occasional “Election Chronicle” for the Tocqueville 21 web magazine. It is also coming out, in French and Spanish…
Apr 16
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David A. Bell
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The Trump Trial
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March 2024
In Our Political Language, World War II has Never Ended
I was living in France, forty years ago, when Ronald Reagan came to Normandy to mark the fortieth anniversary of the D-Day landings. I didn’t like…
Mar 31
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David A. Bell
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In Our Political Language, World War II has Never Ended
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On Dune, Eugenics, and the New Film
I first read Frank Herbert’s Dune when I was twelve and have re-read it several times in the fifty years since (yes, fifty. Oy). It is a hugely uneven…
Mar 14
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David A. Bell
3
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On Dune, Eugenics, and the New Film
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February 2024
Writing About Lives
I have been thinking a great deal about biography recently: how to write about lives. The most immediate reason is an essay I published last week about…
Feb 24
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David A. Bell
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Writing About Lives
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Recent Writing
Here is a round-up of a few recent publications of mine.
Feb 18
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David A. Bell
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Recent Writing
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Against “Pointiness,” or, What is Really Wrong With Elite College Admissions
You are a senior at a fancy private school in New York City, and tragedy has struck. It is December, and you have just been deferred—or perhaps even…
Feb 4
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David A. Bell
9
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Against “Pointiness,” or, What is Really Wrong With Elite College Admissions
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January 2024
What is Liberalism?
What is Liberalism?
Jan 9
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David A. Bell
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What is Liberalism?
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December 2023
The Election's Judicial Turn
Being a pundit manqué, in addition to this newsletter I’m doing an occasional chronicle of the 2024 election for the Tocqueville 21 website. Here is the…
Dec 29, 2023
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David A. Bell
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The Election's Judicial Turn
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On Plagiarism, and the President of Harvard
Here’s a common problem in academic writing. You’re writing an introductory section to an article or a chapter, and need to include some basic…
Dec 23, 2023
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David A. Bell
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On Plagiarism, and the President of Harvard
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