Blog – Page 6 – Gus diZerega

Two articles on my new book (written by me).

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Gus

The first is for Witches and Pagans, a name which explains the site, and so its focus is on a Pagan audience.

The second is for Patheos, an interfaith site, and again, the paper is focused … Read more

The meaning of Samhain in modern America

Posted on October 26, 2013October 26, 2013 by Gus

Samhain (Sao-win) is one of the two most important Wiccan Sabbats, for as Beltane (May Day) celebrates the triumph of life, so Samhain (Halloween), six months later, honors the reality of death. I discuss its importance for American culture today … Read more

Pantheism, Paganism, and Tocqueville on the Soul of Democracy

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Gus

I have a new post up on Witches and Pagans that explores how the themes of modern Pagan spirituality appear inherent in a democratic culture… or at least so Alexis Tocqueville believed. Though as a good Catholic he was not … Read more

Confusions about contract and freedom in libertarian and free market thinking

Posted on October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 by Gus

Libertarians argue a free society is a contractual society, one based on agreement between equals rather than force by the strong against the weak. In my view they are correct. But I have long since ceased to call myself a … Read more

The Kochs’ role in the conspiracy against American democracy

Posted on October 8, 2013December 22, 2016 by Gus

Some months ago I posted an account of the evidence for a Koch funded conspiracy against American democracy, rooted in my having grown up in Wichita, their home, having known Charles Koch personally, and my youthful involvement with the radical … Read more

A response to Nathan Goodman on democracy

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Gus

Nathan Goodman provided an interesting criticism of my post on democracies not being states. His argument requires a lengthy discussion to address properly. Further, the discussion format on this site seems to hate paragraphs, so such a response would … Read more

Liberalism, Conservatism and spirituality, Part III: the crisis of nihilism and the decline of liberty

Posted on September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 by Gus

Witches and Pagans now has Part III of my essay on liberalism, conservatism, their intellectual and moral collapse and what spiritualities of immanence might be able to do to revitalize them. If you wonder why liberals are so weak and … Read more

Understanding Liberalism and Conservativism: the value of Pagan insights for both

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Gus

Part II of my essay on Liberalism and Conservatism is now up at Witches and Pagans. In Part II I argue that both liberalism and conservatism have difficulties in creating a coherent outlook that Pagan insights help to heal.… Read more

Understanding Conservatism and Liberalism

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Gus

One of the most frustrating dimensions of political discussion today is how many people using terms such as liberalism and conservatism, and identifying with one of them, have no clear understanding of how they relate to one another, or even … Read more

Abortion- Not just a matter of theory

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Gus

I am winding down my discussion of why no good arguments exist for denying women the right to decide for themselves whether to bring a fetus to term, or to abort it, with a account of how the issue of … Read more