Republicanism, A Theory of Freedom and Government

I’ve recently finished reading Philip Pettit’s Republicanism, A Theory of Freedom and Government and I found this book to include some very interesting ideas that I think are worth discussing.

But before I go any further, it’s important to understand what’s being referred to by the book’s title. For most Americans the term Republicanism is most commonly associated with politics, and specifically with the GOP. To be sure, reading this book on the subway certainly raised a few eyebrows. However, this book’s subject really has nothing at all to do with American political parties. The Republicanism being referred to in this book is connected with the institution of republics and their foundations. Think more of ancient Romans in togas talking about Res Publica and less of blustery Americans in suits with flag pins.

A Beginning

So I’ve decided to open this blog to have a place to put some of longer-form posts or other things that simply aren’t a good fit for a venue like Facebook. I’m finding that doing more long-form reading is better for attention and, likewise, I wonder if doing some more longer-form writing will help organize my thoughts and improve my writing over-all.

On some more complex topics, I’d like to see if I can get some thoughtful, longer-form conversation going with friends and others. I want to try to keep things thoughtful here and try to foster an environment of understanding where it’s understood that views may be provisional, and that there is a constant process of working of ideas over in one’s mind.

I’d like to thank my friend Steve for mentioning that I should start a blog.

All that said, let’s see how it goes!