Cool links today.  People complain about the interwebs, and we should, we should, but there's a lot of smart people in the world, and they're writing interesting things, and there's always more to learn.

Very nice semi-autobiographical piece by the late intellectual historian (maybe?) Istvan Hont on his own intellectual development, and why there was (in his view) no such thing as a “Cambridge School” of the history of political ideas.

Bill Galston has a good analysis of what the most comprehensive study of the 2020 electorate tells us about the 2020 election, and what it presages for the future:  

“With electoral mobilization at a peak for supporters of both political parties, turnout surged to its highest level in a century. The Democratic vote total increased by 15.4 million over 2016; the Republican total, by 11.2 million. In future elections, much will depend on whether mobilization is symmetrical, as it was in 2020, or asymmetrical, as it is when one party is enthusiastic while the other is discouraged or complacent.”

Pretty interesting reflection on the Vatican’s recent attention to Robert Schuman.

Really fun discussion with Catherine Conybeare—one of the truly best Augustine scholars of my generation (and philologically far, far beyond me and any other theologian or philosopher currently writing—plus she’s a real thinker) on five books on Augustine.

A useful piece on what is mainline protestant Christianity?

“Many feel a yawning sense of emptiness and disappointment at what the ebbing Trump tide left behind.” A good article about how the press is struggling with the way it misses the administration of Donald Trump, for the good stories that it enabled them to tell. This is not a pretty part of the media, but it seems an important part to keep in mind. They are here to tell us stories. We should beware that.

Be safe, everyone.  Enjoy the summer, if it's summer where you are.