Return-Path: Delivered-To: alvarochf@traceseis.com Received: from cs510.bluehost.com by cs510.bluehost.com with LMTP id 2CyjLw8Ju2jeawEAWiBQxw (envelope-from ) for ; Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:00:15 -0600 Return-path: Envelope-to: alvarochf@traceseis.com Delivery-date: Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:00:15 -0600 Received: from m244-47.mailgun.net ([159.112.244.47]:45274) by cs510.bluehost.com with esmtps (TLS1.2) tls TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (Exim 4.98.2) (envelope-from ) id 1uuYrH-00000000QF2-14TD for alvarochf@traceseis.com; Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:00:15 -0600 DKIM-Signature: a=rsa-sha256; v=1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=mg2.substack.com; q=dns/txt; s=mailo; t=1757087999; x=1757095199; h=List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe: List-Post: List-Id: List-Archive: List-Owner: Reply-To: In-Reply-To: References: sender: sender: Date: Message-Id: To: To: From: From: Subject: Subject: Content-Type: Mime-Version; bh=IcncPLtNDlgRvoE/1WbTqTRVustsSHPqqKwFDJspo6s=; b=A0O9R3xaWyiOeRrlKOE/EE43aiki2jOX3Y02/ZpvoEmMLb87ompLRoYP8BK5BW1tMemI2+h4eFLJ8mNNz6Zp4OWoKufsr5mqoTU8mPW3GCyk5DDkp/Jqb9J+liG7Likx873LYjaIDtKuf8RX/ncxQp2x/RFVi2zqb9IlVCcDf+4= X-Mailgun-Sid: WyI3MDdlYyIsImFsdmFyb2NoZkB0cmFjZXNlaXMuY29tIiwiNGQxODU4Il0= Received: by 98ffc5486c87f1887e20c3a51fffd5fe440baa81e94cef6e209b9d383d820c5b with HTTP id 68bb08feb0b1e531707b0e6e; Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:59:58 GMT X-Mailgun-Sending-Ip: 159.112.244.47 X-Mailgun-Batch-Id: 68bb08fef5693b49459f3c6c Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="6237e77ff05ece9844f2a8caf55f48124642e5e8e60767e70eb6844eb5fe" Subject: On Western Dynamism From: Cosmos Institute To: alvarochf@traceseis.com X-Mailgun-Tag: post X-Mailgun-Track-Clicks: false Message-Id: <20250905155947.3.74dda87f14d520d9@mg2.substack.com> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2025 15:59:47 +0000 Feedback-ID: post-172868940:cat-post:pub-2225794:substack sender: Cosmos Institute References: In-Reply-To: Reply-To: Cosmos Institute List-Owner: List-URL: List-Archive: List-Id: List-Post: List-Unsubscribe: List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click X-Mailgun-Variables: {"category": "post", "email_generated_at": "1757087997818", "is_freemail": "true", "post_audience": "everyone", "post_id": "172868940", "post_type": "newsletter", "pub_community_enabled": "true", "publication_id": "2225794", "subdomain": "cosmosinstitute", "user_id": "347258985"} --6237e77ff05ece9844f2a8caf55f48124642e5e8e60767e70eb6844eb5fe Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable View this post on the web at https://blog.cosmos-institute.org/p/on-western= -dynamism What does it mean to live a good life? Maybe it=E2=80=99s raising children who become good people, or discovering = something true about the world, or building something that outlasts you, or= serving a cause greater than yourself. Your idea of the good life may not = appeal to me, and mine is unlikely to interest you. But one thing they have= in common is that we choose them for ourselves. This choosing, in the best= case, is what we call autonomy=E2=80=94the cultivated capacity to delibera= te well about how to live and to revise understanding through experience. But autonomy is also negotiated in tandem with others. Wilhelm von Humboldt= wrote [ https://substack.com/redirect/193d70e8-c02f-4c02-b39e-2a3407f3301e= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ] =E2= =80=9CThe experience of all, even the rudest, nations, furnishes us an exam= ple of a union thus formative of individual character.=E2=80=9D He understo= od that flourishing depends on social bonds that are both intimate enough t= o let us participate in the diversity of others=E2=80=99 strengths, yet fre= e enough to preserve our capacity for independent choice. These relationshi= ps, where we can encounter different ways of excellence without being force= d to conform, require a delicate balance of closeness and freedom. Today, we are told that these social bonds are approaching a breaking point= =2E Many across the political spectrum=20= hope for renewal through unity. They s= eek a more homogeneous America, whether informed by religious virtues, Euro= pean social democracy, technocratic governance, or visions of America=E2=80= =99s past. The desire for a more unified America is understandable, even re= asonable. History reminds us, however, that what holds America together is much less = ideological consensus, and much more a commitment to autonomy and the princ= iples informing its constitutional protections. America=E2=80=99s strength = has never come from strict cultural uniformity or state-enforced cohesion, = but from its ability to harness the creative tensions of Western civilizati= on. We call this =E2=80=9CWestern Dynamism.=E2=80=9D Try it on for size In Plato=E2=80=99s Laws, the Spartan Megillus tells the Athenian Stranger t= hat he has a special kind of respect for good Athenians. Megillus doesn=E2= =80=99t say Athens itself is good, but that when it produces good citizens,= they are good as if =E2=80=9Cby their nature or some divine dispensation.= =E2=80=9D The Spartan's insight is striking: precisely because Athens lacks= the prescriptive virtue of Sparta, those Athenians who achieve excellence = do so through genuine choice rather than compulsion. In Athens, many settled for pleasure, security, or convenience. But those w= ith higher aims built and refined their strengths by =E2=80=9Ctrying on=E2= =80=9D different lives and filtering through competing visions of excellenc= e. Emerging from freedom rather than enforcement, this diversity of individ= ual personalities and talents helped to constitute the greatness of the Ath= enian regime. It=E2=80=99s a lesson America has nearly forgotten. While our technological= economy helped propel us to global dominance, we=E2=80=99ve lost the found= ing insight that created the conditions for that success. As we foster the = next generation of technologies, our ability to buffer and absorb the disru= ptions of integrating these systems may be found wanting. The country is mo= re technologically powerful than ever, yet arguably more politically and cu= lturally divided than it has been since the Civil War. But steering America towards one version of the good life won=E2=80=99t wor= k. Its population size, geographic expanse, institutional complexity, ethni= c diversity, staggered wealth, and talent distributions all frustrate effor= ts to forge a homogeneous political entity. America is a vast republic of d= isparate populations, with regional differences equivalent to the ethnic an= d cultural divides that elsewhere define entire nations. Uniformity was nev= er part of the original plan anyway. Madison in Federalist 10 argued [ http= s://substack.com/redirect/5f16d995-ece3-4fc8-8c01-4ae66638aa7a?j=3DeyJ1Ijoi= NXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ] that a large repu= blic's diversity would be a safeguard against tyranny, with competing facti= ons checking each other's power. America=E2=80=99s successes in the 18th and 19th centuries led it to grow b= eyond its original identity. Today=E2=80=99s America is neither Puritan =E2= =80=9Ccity on the hill=E2=80=9D nor Western frontier. It=E2=80=99s not an a= rt deco megalopolis, suburban strip mall, or network of townships, yeoman f= arms, or bowling leagues. All of these things continue to inform what we ca= ll =E2=80=9CAmerican,=E2=80=9D but they do not capture the reality of a cou= ntry transformed by mass production, global trade, or the digital revolutio= n. America may have been the architect of much of this change, but the forc= es it has unleashed set the country on a path that will test the principles= of its liberalism. How the West was won Jefferson=E2=80=99s Declaration of Independence stakes political legitimacy= on =E2=80=9Cthe consent of the governed.=E2=80=9D Citizens agree to govern= ment authority in exchange for protection of their natural rights: to life,= liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Like Locke before him, Jefferson grounds these rights in divine endowment. = But Locke=E2=80=99s move was to relocate divine authority from the ruler to= the ruled, to shift moral leverage from king to citizen. If legitimate pow= er flows from the social contract, then power must be constrained by what a= uthorizes it. While Locke and Jefferson addressed the theoretical basis of consent, a pra= ctical question remained: What kind of political order deserves that consen= t? Throughout Western history, political projects have repeatedly tried and= failed to organize successfully around any single ideal. For the founding = generation, consent was earned differently: by a government that would let = each citizen pursue the best life as they understood it. Not through any im= posed framework, but according to ideals they chose for themselves. These i= deals were =E2=80=9Cpre-liberal,=E2=80=9D with much deeper historical roots= =2E What we call =E2=80=9CWestern civilization=E2=80=9D is not a monolith. It i= sn't one religion, one set of institutions, one science, one epic poem, or = one artistic movement. The West is better understood as a dynamic order, dr= iven by tension between three main traditions=E2=80=94the heroic, the philo= sophic, and the biblical=E2=80=94that pictured the good life in ways that a= re sometimes compatible but oftentimes not. These begin in the ancient world, with Homer and the Mesopotamian epics lay= ing out the archetype of the hero=E2=80=94the vision of the best life assoc= iated with military prowess, camaraderie, adventure, and friendship. There = is also the Greek philosophic tradition, which attempts to replace Achilles= with Socrates as the model of the best life. In doing so, it set the stage= for a new kind of intellectual culture in the West, and ultimately laid th= e foundations for Western science. And finally, there is the biblical tradi= tion, which rejects both the heroic and the philosophic claims to happiness= in favor of the life of pious devotion, elevating the father rather than t= he philosopher as leader and celebrating the family as his proper concern. = Philosophy and biblical faith both critique the heroic life, but there is a= fundamental tension between their respective appeals to reason and the voi= ce of revelation. The West=E2=80=99s medieval period was marked by attempts to synthesize the= biblical with the philosophical into a unified intellectual and cultural v= ision. The Church=E2=80=99s accomplishments in this direction are admirable= and its institutional longevity remarkable. But despite its efforts, and i= n some ways because of them, Western powers found their way more often to w= ar than to peace. Roman Christendom, which in many respects superseded the = empire, did not enjoy the worldly stability or authority of its predecessor= =2E=20 The movement we call the Enlightenment was prompted by the tumult of religi= ous warfare to replace the Church=E2=80=99s synthetic vision. Starting with= Machiavelli, thinkers who saw themselves as distinctly modern sought to fl= atten the tension in Western Dynamism by rearticulating the relation betwee= n politics, reason, and revelation. With Bacon and Descartes, a new vision = of reason emerged in the form of a powerful experimental and technological = science, one that promised substantial material progress if only politics a= nd religion could make the appropriate accommodations. The Enlightenment brought dramatic improvements to our material well-being = and expanded human knowledge in unprecedented ways. Yet despite these achie= vements, the moderns failed to produce the stable political order they had = hoped for. Instead, the Enlightenment unleashed waves of revolution which c= rested in the convulsive ideological wars of the twentieth century, the ech= oes of which still define our politics. Ironically, the West=E2=80=99s own greatest thinkers had long warned agains= t such totalizing ambitions. From Plato and Aristotle=E2=80=99s warnings ab= out the false promises of a political techne for the human condition, to Ba= con=E2=80=99s insistence on purifying science from its idols, to Hume and N= ietzsche=E2=80=99s concerns about the psychologically motivated distortions= of reason, the philosophical tradition consistently urged skepticism towar= d any single vision of harmony through reason. The Enlightenment sought to resolve the fundamental tensions of Western civ= ilization=E2=80=94to release the energy in the bowstring=E2=80=94by flatten= ing competing claims into a unified rational system. But Western Dynamism d= raws its generative energy precisely from maintaining that tension, from th= e ongoing interplay among heroic action, philosophical contemplation, pious= devotion, and other forms of excellence that continue to emerge. Rather than trying to resolve these tensions, America found a different pat= h. The intellectual crucible of Western Dynamism has forged a pantheon of A= merica=E2=80=99s greatest leaders and thinkers: Madison=E2=80=99s education= in the history of statecraft, Lincoln=E2=80=99s reading of Shakespeare and= the Bible, the religious discipline of J.P. Morgan and its effect on Teddy= Roosevelt, the incredible self-education of Frederick Douglass and his def= ense of the self-made man, the futurist aspirations of Walt Disney, the the= ological appeals of Martin Luther King Jr., the compassionate activism of D= orothy Day, and the progressive vision of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If a nation is vindicated by the greatness of its individuals, then the Ame= rican willingness to trust its citizens to inform and define their own visi= on has been one of the most successful wagers in the history of civilizatio= n. The next reconfiguration=20 America emerged from the wars of the twentieth century as the supreme power= in the West, indeed the supreme power on the planet. But its successes, at= tributable to its modern liberal principles and especially its technologica= l political economy, pushed it to grow and re-fashion itself in ways that d= eparted from its founding form. For America to find its path, it needs to reckon with these changes in a wa= y that re-sanctifies its fundamental principles. Liberalism earns our conse= nt not because it tells people what specific vision of the good life to pur= sue, but because it affords us the space to take seriously the competing vi= sions that define what is possible. It allows us the freedom to pursue the = elements of Western Dynamism=E2=80=94the very ideals that we look to for me= aning, even while we acknowledge that no single one can serve as the basis = for governance. America pays its highest tribute to this conception of consent through its = commitment to liberal education. At their best, American schools preserve c= ontact with the competing visions that drive our civilization. From this in= terplay, conflict, and debate, each person has the opportunity to frame the= ir life in terms of some fundamental calling: to heroic action, to philosop= hical inquiry, to pious devotion, to innovative creation, or to other calli= ngs that our traditions continue to generate. In protecting the opportunity= for its citizens to find the sources that will enhance and deepen their li= ves, America already knows how to reaffirm genuine consent. America=E2=80=99s great centers of liberal education are possible because o= ur market economy has generated unprecedented prosperity through innovation= and the coordination of human knowledge. By investing in this outlet, Amer= ica understands that it is only through education=E2=80=94which cultivates = both practical competence and serious engagement with the sources of meanin= g=E2=80=94that we each learn to redeem our freedom. Now, we face a moment where machines are capable of performing cognitive la= bor. As AI systems enter the realm of deliberation itself, we must renew ou= r commitment to education even as its professional utility begins to wane. = Thinking machines could actually help. By making learning more efficient AI= can free time for deeper exploration; as a Socratic interlocutor, it may s= timulate curiosity about alternative paths; through the right kind of perso= nalization, it might help individuals discover and develop their unique gif= ts. Building on the tradition of liberal education, we ought to utilize our= freedom to access and more fully inhabit the visions of life that supply t= heir own justification. When human purpose will be least defined by our =E2= =80=9Cwork=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Clabor,=E2=80=9D America ought to protect an= d promote efforts to =E2=80=9Ctry on=E2=80=9D the best lives. That=E2=80=99s what education lets us do: to experience the goods that will= most attach us to life itself, especially when so much around us is likely= to be radically altered by waves of technological change. Many will be tempted to use AI to impose simple solutions to America=E2=80= =99s divisions rather than doing the harder work of maintaining creative te= nsion. Some will seek enforced unity through algorithmic conformity that ho= mogenizes intellectual life. Others will embrace managed fragmentation thro= ugh filter bubbles that prevent engagement with competing traditions. Still= others will respond to AI=E2=80=99s uncertainty by demanding centralized p= olitical control, seeking global governance structures or expansive regulat= ory regimes. Each path abandons the productive difficulty that Western Dyna= mism requires. But for us to benefit from AI, just like we=E2=80=99ve benefited from other= advanced technologies, America needs to protect the freedom for each commu= nity and for each individual to experiment with what works best for them. A= merica cannot afford to aim for Spartan unity; but this does not mean that = it needs to embrace a radically permissive spirit where all values are deem= ed equal. Rather, it needs to offer its citizens a clearer path to affirmin= g their consent by choosing and living out some vision of the good life, an= encouragement to become the person they seek to be. The virtues that defin= e the best lives may be rivalrous, but they are not relative, nor are they = the products of simple preference. America will do us, itself, and the West the most good if it protects our a= bility to take ourselves seriously. Just as previous eras tested Western ci= vilization=E2=80=99s willingness to maintain creative friction, our technol= ogical age demands that America once again redeem the freedom we otherwise = take for granted. That is the promise of Western Dynamism: to embrace that = our strength comes from tension, not unity. 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border-left: none; } } @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { .share-button-container a.share.first img { padding-left: 0; } } @media screen and (min-width: 481px) { .share-button-container a.mobile { display: none !important; } } @media screen and (min-width: 541px) { .settings-add-pub-modal-wrapper .container .add-recommending-pub-modal-co= ntainer { padding: 36px; height: 680px; } } @media screen and (min-width: 541px) { .settings-add-pub-modal-wrapper .container .add-recommending-pub-modal-co= ntainer .footer { position: absolute; bottom: 36px; margin: 0px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .header-anchor-parent { display: none; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { .post { padding: 16px 0 0 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .post-header .post-label { margin-top: 8px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .post-header .meta-author-wrap.alternative-meta .meta-right-column = =2Epost-meta { margin-top: 6px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .footer-facepile-container { height: 64px; padding: 0 16px; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: flex-start; width: 100%; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .post-footer.use-separators { justify-content: center; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .post-footer.next-prev { height: 64px; justify-content: space-between; box-sizing: border-box; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-table { display: block; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-table-row { display: flex; flex-direction: row; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-userhead-cell, .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-body-cell { display: block; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-body-cell { flex-grow: 1; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-body-table { display: block; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-body-table-row { display: block; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-copy-cell, .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-controls-cell { display: block; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-copy-cell { margin: 0 0 16px 0; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-controls-cell { width: auto; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-controls { margin: auto; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-controls .button.primary { width: 100%; } .post-contributor-footer .post-contributor-bio-text { font-size: 14px; } } @media screen and (min-width: 768px) { .post-silhouette { padding: 32px 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post-silhouette .post-silhouette-title { margin-top: 10.44225025px; height: 120px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post-silhouette .post-silhouette-meta { width: 75%; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post-silhouette .post-silhouette-meta.with-byline-image { margin: 20px 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .use-theme-bg .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item, .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item { padding-right: 16px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 370px) { .use-theme-bg .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item, .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item { font-size: 14px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .use-theme-bg .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item.guest-author-pu= blication, .post-meta.alternative-meta .post-meta-item.guest-author-publication { display: none; } } @media screen and (max-width: 370px) { .post-meta .post-meta-item .post-meta-button { height: 36px !important; /* important to override in-line height style on emails */ } .post-meta .post-meta-item .post-meta-button .meta-button-label { display: none; } .post-meta .post-meta-item .post-meta-button > svg { margin-right: 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 370px) { .post-meta .post-meta-item { font-size: 12px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post .floating-subscribe-button { bottom: 20px; right: 20px; } } @media (max-width: 1024px) { body .pullquote-align-left, body .pullquote-align-right, body .pullquote-align-wide, body .pullquote-align-center { float: none; margin: 0 auto; width: 100%; max-width: 100%; } } @media all and (-ms-high-contrast: none), (-ms-high-contrast: active) { body .markup table.image-wrapper img, body .markup table.kindle-wrapper img { max-width: 550px; } } @media (min-width: 1024px) { body:not(:has(#toc)) .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-off= set-left) { margin-left: var(--image-offset-margin); } body:not(:has(#toc)) .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-off= set-right) { margin-right: var(--image-offset-margin); } } @media (min-width: 1300px) { body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-offset-left) { margin-left: var(--image-offset-margin); } body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-offset-right) { margin-right: var(--image-offset-margin); } } @media (max-width: 1024px) { body { /* Disable offset on mobile/tablet */ } body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-left), body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-right) { float: none; margin: 1em auto; max-width: 100%; width: auto; padding: 0; } body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-left.thefp), body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-right.thefp) = { margin: 1em auto; } body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-offset-left), body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-offset-right) { margin: 1em auto; } body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-left) .image2= -inset, body .captioned-image-container figure:has(> a.image2-align-right) .image= 2-inset { display: block; justify-content: initial; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { body .markup div.sponsorship-campaign-embed { margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; } body .markup div.sponsorship-campaign-embed:first-child { margin-top: 0px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { body .markup div.youtube-overlay, body .markup div.vimeo-overlay { display: none !important; } } @media screen and (max-width: 370px) { body .markup div.tiktok-wrap { width: calc(95vw - 32px); height: calc((95vw - 32px - 2px) / 0.485714); } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { body .markup div.embedded-publication-wrap .embedded-publication.show-sub= scribe { padding: 24px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { body .markup div.subscription-widget-wrap .subscription-widget.show-subsc= ribe, body .markup div.subscription-widget-wrap-editor .subscription-widget.sho= w-subscribe, body .markup div.captioned-button-wrap .subscription-widget.show-subscrib= e { padding: 0px 24px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { body .markup div.subscription-widget-wrap .subscription-widget.show-subsc= ribe .subscription-widget-subscribe .button, body .markup div.subscription-widget-wrap-editor .subscription-widget.sho= w-subscribe .subscription-widget-subscribe .button, body .markup div.captioned-button-wrap .subscription-widget.show-subscrib= e .subscription-widget-subscribe .button { padding: 10px 12px; min-width: 110px; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .tweet { padding: 12px; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .tweet .tweet-text { font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .tweet .tweet-photos-container.two, body .markup .tweet .tweet-photos-container.three, body .markup .tweet .tweet-photos-container.four { height: 200px; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .tweet a.expanded-link .expanded-link-img { max-height: 180px; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .tweet a.expanded-link .expanded-link-description { display: none; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { body .markup .apple-podcast-container { width: unset; } } @media (max-width: 420px) { body .markup .install-substack-app-embed img.install-substack-app-embed-i= mg { margin: 0 auto 16px auto; } } @media (max-width: 420px) { body .markup .install-substack-app-embed .install-substack-app-embed-text= { margin: 0 0 12px 0; max-width: 100%; width: auto; text-align: center; } } @media (max-width: 420px) { body .markup .install-substack-app-embed .install-substack-app-embed-link= { display: flex; justify-content: center; } } @media screen and (min-width: 500px) { body .header a.logo { width: 42px; height: 42px; border-radius: 12px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 420px) { body .subscription-receipt table:first-of-type .subscription-amount .subs= cription-discount { width: 72px !important; } } @media screen and (min-width: 481px) { body .share-button-container { height: auto; } } @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { body .share-button-container .separator { display: block !important; margin: 0 !important; height: 8px !important; border-left: none !important; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .digest .item .post-meta-item.audience { display: none; } } @media screen and (min-width: 500px) { .digest-publication .logo img { width: 42px; height: 42px; border-radius: 8px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .comments-page .container .comment-list .collapsed-reply { margin-left: calc(10 + 32px - 24px); } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .comment > .comment-list { padding-left: 24px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .finish-magic-login-modal .modal-content .container { padding: 24px 0; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { .reader2-text-b3 { line-height: 24px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .reader2-text-h4 { line-height: 24px; } } @media screen and (min-width: 541px) { .user-profile-modal { padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .subscribe-widget form.form .sideBySideWrap button.rightButton { padding: 10px 12px; } } @media screen and (min-width: 541px) { .pub-icon:hover .logo-hover, .feed-item-icon:hover .logo-hover { display: block; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .post-ufi.single-full-width-button .post-ufi-button-wrapper { width: 100%; padding: 16px; } .post-ufi.single-full-width-button .post-ufi-button-wrapper:empty { display: none; } .post-ufi.single-full-width-button .post-ufi-button { width: 100%; justify-content: center; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { .file-embed-wrapper { padding: 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { .file-embed-wrapper-editor { padding: 0; } } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { .file-embed-wrapper-editor:active { padding: 0; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 650px) { .file-embed-button.wide, .file-embed-error-button.wide { display: none; } } @media only screen and (min-width: 630px) { .file-embed-button.narrow, .file-embed-error-button.narrow { display: none; } } @media screen and (min-width: 541px) { .audio-player-wrapper .audio-player { min-width: 500px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .audio-player-wrapper .audio-player .audio-player-progress { border-left-width: 16px; border-right-width: 16px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .audio-player-wrapper .audio-player .audio-player-progress .audio-player-= progress-bar .audio-player-progress-bar-popup { top: -54px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-progress { border-left-width: 16px; border-right-width: 16px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 650px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-progress .audio-p= layer-progress-bar .audio-player-progress-bar-popup { top: -54px; } } @media (min-width: 250px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player { padding: 32px; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group { display: flex; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group .button:last-of-type= { display: block; } } @media (min-width: 300px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group { display: block; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group .button:first-of-typ= e { display: block; } } @media (min-width: 350px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-substack-logo { display: block; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-title { margin-top: 16px; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-hero-image-contai= ner { padding-top: 15%; width: 15%; display: block; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group .button:first-of-typ= e { display: block; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-substack-logo { display: block; } } @media (min-width: 350px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-hero-image-contai= ner { padding-top: 25%; width: 25%; display: block; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group { display: flex; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group .button:first-of-typ= e { display: block; } } @media (min-width: 400px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-hero-image-contai= ner { padding-top: 40%; width: 40%; } } @media (max-width: 400px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group { margin-top: 12px; } .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .btn-group .button { font-size: 13px; padding: 6px 12px; height: auto; margin-top: 10px; } } @media (min-width: 600px) { .audio-player-wrapper-fancy .audio-player .audio-player-hero-image-contai= ner { padding-top: 55%; width: 55%; } } @media (max-width: 650px) { .poll-editor-modal { min-width: calc(100% - 20px); } } @media (max-width: 750px) { .poll-embed .poll-anchor-target .poll-anchor-copy-button { left: 8px; top: 45px; } }</style></head><body class=3D"email-body" style=3D"font-kerning: auto;--im= age-offset-margin: -120px;"><img src=3D"https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?= token=3DeyJtIjoiPDIwMjUwOTA1MTU1OTQ3LjMuNzRkZGE4N2YxNGQ1MjBkOUBtZzIuc3Vic3R= hY2suY29tPiIsInUiOjM0NzI1ODk4NSwiciI6ImFsdmFyb2NoZkB0cmFjZXNlaXMuY29tIiwiZC= I6Im1nMi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20iLCJwIjoxNzI4Njg5NDAsInQiOiJuZXdzbGV0dGVyIiwiYSI6I= mV2ZXJ5b25lIiwicyI6MjIyNTc5NCwiYyI6InBvc3QiLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InRv= cCIsImlhdCI6MTc1NzA4Nzk5NywiZXhwIjoxNzU5Njc5OTk3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI= 6ImVvIn0.tKdnBIsJODieUo7ZYOHyffwJ6sBUWdiUZCnEdcVtbGs" alt=3D"" width=3D"1" = height=3D"1" border=3D"0" style=3D"height:1px !important;width:1px !importa= nt;border-width:0 !important;margin-top:0 !important;margin-bottom:0 !impor= tant;margin-right:0 !important;margin-left:0 !important;padding-top:0 !impo= rtant;padding-bottom:0 !important;padding-right:0 !important;padding-left:0= !important;"/><div class=3D"preview" style=3D"display:none;font-size:1px;c= olor:#333333;line-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflo= w:hidden;">America's strength comes from tension, not unity</div><div class= =3D"preview" style=3D"display:none;font-size:1px;color:#333333;line-height:= 1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;">͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­</div><table class=3D"email-body-contai= ner" role=3D"presentation" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" ce= llpadding=3D"0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td class=3D"content" width=3D"550"></t= d><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td class=3D"content" width=3D"550" align=3D"l= eft"><div style=3D"font-size: 16px;line-height: 26px;max-width: 550px;width= : 100%;margin: 0 auto;overflow-wrap: break-word;"><table role=3D"presentati= on" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0"><tbody>= <tr><td align=3D"right" style=3D"height:20px;"><table role=3D"presentation"= width=3D"auto" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0"><tbody><tr= ><td style=3D"vertical-align:middle;"><span class=3D"pencraft pc-reset rese= t-IxiVJZ tw-font-body tw-text-ssm tw-text-substack-secondary" style=3D"font= -family: SF Pro Text, -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, Inter, = Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI= Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol;font-size: 13px;color: unset;list-style: none;text-= decoration: unset;margin: 0;"><div class=3D"pencraft pc-reset align-right-V= JbKw5 size-12-mmZ61m reset-IxiVJZ" style=3D"list-style: none;color: unset;t= ext-align: right;font-size: 12px;line-height: 16px;text-decoration: unset;m= argin: 0;"><span class=3D"pencraft pc-reset reset-IxiVJZ" translated=3D"" s= 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x;padding: 32px 0 0 0;font-size: 16px;line-height: 26px;"><div class=3D"pos= t-header" role=3D"region" aria-label=3D"Post header" style=3D"font-size: 16= px;line-height: 26px;"><h1 class=3D"post-title published title-X77sOw" dir= =3D"auto" style=3D"direction: auto;text-align: start;unicode-bidi: isolate;= color: rgb(54,55,55);font-family: Lora,sans-serif;font-weight: 600;-webkit-= font-smoothing: antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antialiased;-webkit-ap= pearance: optimizelegibility;-moz-appearance: optimizelegibility;appearance= : optimizelegibility;margin: 0;line-height: 36px;font-size: 32px;"><a href= =3D"https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=3D2225794&post_id=3D1= 72868940&utm_source=3Dpost-email-title&utm_campaign=3Demail-post-title&isFr= eemail=3Dtrue&r=3D5qqyqx&token=3DeyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozNDcyNTg5ODUsInBvc3RfaWQiOj= E3Mjg2ODk0MCwiaWF0IjoxNzU3MDg3OTk3LCJleHAiOjE3NTk2Nzk5OTcsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yM= jI1Nzk0Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.cNObJZvsAeULG6zniTIt1327I9OqMby1YVN= rqPzpcuA" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration: none;">On Western = Dynamism</a></h1><h3 class=3D"subtitle subtitle-HEEcLo" dir=3D"auto" style= =3D"direction: auto;text-align: start;unicode-bidi: isolate;font-family: 'S= F Pro Display',-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSyste= mFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Seg= oe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: normal;-webkit-font-smoothing: = antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antialiased;-webkit-appearance: optimi= zelegibility;-moz-appearance: optimizelegibility;appearance: optimizelegibi= lity;margin: 4px 0 0;color: #777777;line-height: 24px;font-size: 18px;margi= n-top: 12px;">America's strength comes from tension, not unity</h3><table c= lass=3D"post-meta" role=3D"presentation" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellsp= acing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" style=3D"margin: 1em 0;height: 20px;align-ite= ms: center;"><tbody><tr><td><table role=3D"presentation" width=3D"auto" bor= der=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0"><tbody><tr><td><table role=3D= "presentation" width=3D"auto" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D= "0"><tbody><tr><td style=3D"vertical-align:middle;"><div class=3D"pencraft = pc-reset color-primary-zABazT line-height-20-t4M0El font-meta-MWBumP size-1= 1-NuY2Zx weight-medium-fw81nC transform-uppercase-yKDgcq reset-IxiVJZ meta-= EgzBVA custom-css-email-post-author" style=3D"list-style: none;font-size: 1= 1px;line-height: 20px;text-decoration: unset;color: rgb(54,55,55);margin: 0= ;font-family: 'SF Compact',-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSy= stemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','= Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: 500;text-transform: uppercas= e;letter-spacing: .2px;"><a class=3D"pencraft pc-reset color-primary-zABazT= line-height-20-t4M0El font-meta-MWBumP size-11-NuY2Zx weight-medium-fw81nC= transform-uppercase-yKDgcq reset-IxiVJZ meta-EgzBVA" style=3D"list-style: = none;color: rgb(54,55,55);margin: 0;font-size: 11px;line-height: 20px;font-= family: 'SF Compact',-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFo= nt,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe = UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: 500;text-transform: uppercase;lett= er-spacing: .2px;text-decoration: none" href=3D"https://substack.com/@brend= anmccord">Brendan McCord</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><= td><table role=3D"presentation" width=3D"auto" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"= 0" cellpadding=3D"0"><tbody><tr><td style=3D"vertical-align:middle;"><div c= lass=3D"pencraft pc-reset color-secondary-ls1g8s line-height-20-t4M0El font= -meta-MWBumP size-11-NuY2Zx weight-medium-fw81nC transform-uppercase-yKDgcq= reset-IxiVJZ meta-EgzBVA" style=3D"list-style: none;font-size: 11px;line-h= eight: 20px;text-decoration: unset;color: rgb(119,119,119);margin: 0;font-f= amily: 'SF Compact',-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFon= t,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe U= I Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: 500;text-transform: uppercase;lette= r-spacing: .2px;"><time datetime=3D"2025-09-05T15:59:52.106Z">Sep 5</time><= /div></td><td width=3D"4" style=3D"min-width: 4px"></td><td style=3D"vertic= al-align:middle;"><table role=3D"presentation" width=3D"auto" border=3D"0" = cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0"><tbody><tr><td style=3D"vertical-align:= middle;"><div class=3D"pencraft pc-reset color-secondary-ls1g8s line-height= -20-t4M0El font-meta-MWBumP size-11-NuY2Zx weight-medium-fw81nC transform-u= ppercase-yKDgcq reset-IxiVJZ meta-EgzBVA" style=3D"list-style: none;font-si= ze: 11px;line-height: 20px;text-decoration: unset;color: rgb(119,119,119);m= argin: 0;font-family: 'SF Compact',-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,Bl= inkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color = Emoji','Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: 500;text-transform: = uppercase;letter-spacing: .2px;">∙</div></td><td width=3D"4" style=3D= "min-width: 4px"></td><td style=3D"vertical-align:middle;"><div class=3D"pe= ncraft pc-reset color-secondary-ls1g8s line-height-20-t4M0El font-meta-MWBu= mP size-11-NuY2Zx weight-medium-fw81nC transform-uppercase-yKDgcq reset-Ixi= VJZ meta-EgzBVA" translated=3D"" style=3D"list-style: none;font-size: 11px;= line-height: 20px;text-decoration: unset;color: rgb(119,119,119);margin: 0;= font-family: 'SF Compact',-apple-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSys= temFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','S= egoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: 500;text-transform: uppercase= ;letter-spacing: .2px;">Guest post</div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr= ></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align=3D"right"><table = role=3D"presentation" width=3D"auto" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpad= ding=3D"0"><tbody><tr><td style=3D"vertical-align:middle;"><a href=3D"https= 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om%2Ficon%2FLucideArrowUpRight%3Fv%3D4%26height%3D36%26fill%3Dnone%26stroke= %3D%2523808080%26strokeWidth%3D2" width=3D"18" height=3D"18" style=3D"min-w= idth: 18px;min-height: 18px;border: none;vertical-align: middle;margin-righ= t: 0;margin-left: 0;max-width: 18px" alt=3D""></a></td></tr></tbody></table= ></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr height= =3D"16"><td height=3D"16" style=3D"font-size:0px;line-height:0;"> </td= ></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class=3D"post typography" dir=3D"aut= o" style=3D"--image-offset-margin: -120px;padding: 32px 0 0 0;font-size: 16= px;line-height: 26px;"><div class=3D"body markup" dir=3D"auto" style=3D"tex= t-align: initial;font-size: 16px;line-height: 26px;width: 100%;word-break: = break-word;margin-bottom: 16px;font-family: Lora,sans-serif;font-weight: 40= 0;"><div class=3D"captioned-image-container-static" style=3D"font-size: 16p= x;line-height: 26px;margin: 32px auto;margin-top: 0;"><figure style=3D"widt= h: 100%;margin: 0 auto;"><table class=3D"image-wrapper" width=3D"100%" bord= er=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" data-component-name=3D"Image2T= oDOMStatic" style=3D"mso-padding-alt: 1em 0 1.6em;"><tbody><tr><td style=3D= "text-align: center;"></td><td class=3D"content" align=3D"left" width=3D"14= 56" style=3D"text-align: center;"><a class=3D"image-link" target=3D"_blank"= href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/89e51ce4-9645-4914-ba04-466c2fdae809= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA" rel= =3D"" style=3D"position: relative;flex-direction: column;align-items: cente= r;padding: 0;width: auto;height: auto;border: none;text-decoration: none;di= splay: block;margin: 0;margin-top: 0;margin-bottom: 0;"><img class=3D"wide-= image" data-attrs=3D"{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.= amazonaws.com/public/images/76c46c89-9b76-4d89-bba7-3eb5ae72bb80_1555x895.p= ng","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"= imageSize":null,"height":838,"width":1456,"re= sizeWidth":null,"bytes":null,"alt":null,"titl= e":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold= ":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":null,&q= uot;isProcessing":false,"align":null,"offset":fals= e}" alt=3D"" width=3D"550" height=3D"316.5521978021978" src=3D"https://subs= tackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VGWG!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_prog= ressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2= Fimages%2F76c46c89-9b76-4d89-bba7-3eb5ae72bb80_1555x895.png" style=3D"borde= r: none !important;vertical-align: middle;display: block;-ms-interpolation-= mode: bicubic;height: auto;margin-bottom: 0;width: auto !important;max-widt= h: 100% !important;margin: 0 auto;"></a></td><td style=3D"text-align: cente= r;"></td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class=3D"image-caption" style=3D"= box-sizing: content-box;color: #777777;font-size: 14px;line-height: 20px;fo= nt-weight: 400;letter-spacing: -.15px;margin-top: 8px;width: 70%;padding-le= ft: 15%;padding-right: 15%;text-align: center;"><span>Thomas Moran, </span>= <em>The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone</em><span> (1872)</span></figcaptio= n></figure></div><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-h= eight: 26px;font-size: 16px;">What does it mean to live a good life?</p><p = style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-siz= e: 16px;">Maybe it’s raising children who become good people, or disc= overing something true about the world, or building something that outlasts= you, or serving a cause greater than yourself. Your idea of the good life = may not appeal to me, and mine is unlikely to interest you. But one thing t= hey have in common is that we choose them for ourselves. This choosing, in = the best case, is what we call autonomy—the cultivated capacity to de= liberate well about how to live and to revise understanding through experie= nce.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26= px;font-size: 16px;"><span>But autonomy is also negotiated in tandem with o= thers. Wilhelm von Humboldt </span><a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect= /193d70e8-c02f-4c02-b39e-2a3407f3301e?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTN= udluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA" rel=3D"" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text= -decoration: underline;">wrote</a><span> “The experience of all, even= the rudest, nations, furnishes us an example of a union thus formative of = individual character.” He understood that flourishing depends on soci= al bonds that are both intimate enough to let us participate in the diversi= ty of others’ strengths, yet free enough to preserve our capacity for= independent choice. These relationships, where we can encounter different = ways of excellence without being forced to conform, require a delicate bala= nce of closeness and freedom.</span></p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;colo= r: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;">Today, we are told tha= t these social bonds are approaching a breaking point. Many across the poli= tical spectrum hope for renewal through unity. They seek a more homogeneous= America, whether informed by religious virtues, European social democracy,= technocratic governance, or visions of America’s past. The desire fo= r a more unified America is understandable, even reasonable.</p><p style=3D= "margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;= ">History reminds us, however, that what holds America together is much les= s ideological consensus, and much more a commitment to autonomy and the pri= nciples informing its constitutional protections. America’s strength = has never come from strict cultural uniformity or state-enforced cohesion, = but from its ability to harness the creative tensions of Western civilizati= on.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26p= x;font-size: 16px;">We call this “Western Dynamism.”</p><h3 cla= ss=3D"header-anchor-post" style=3D"position: relative;font-family: 'SF Pro = Display',-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,= 'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI = Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: bold;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialia= sed;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antialiased;-webkit-appearance: optimizelegibi= lity;-moz-appearance: optimizelegibility;appearance: optimizelegibility;mar= gin: 1em 0 0.625em 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 1.16em;font-size: 1.= 375em;"><strong>Try it on for size</strong></h3><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20p= x 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;"><span>In Plato= ’s </span><em>Laws</em><span>, the Spartan Megillus tells the Athenia= n Stranger that he has a special kind of respect for good Athenians. Megill= us doesn’t say Athens itself is good, but that when it produces good = citizens, they are good as if “by their nature or some divine dispens= ation.” The Spartan's insight is striking: precisely because Athens l= acks the prescriptive virtue of Sparta, those Athenians who achieve excelle= nce do so through genuine choice rather than compulsion.</span></p><p style= =3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16= px;">In Athens, many settled for pleasure, security, or convenience. But th= ose with higher aims built and refined their strengths by “trying on&= #8221; different lives and filtering through competing visions of excellenc= e. Emerging from freedom rather than enforcement, this diversity of individ= ual personalities and talents helped to constitute the greatness of the Ath= enian regime.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-h= eight: 26px;font-size: 16px;">It’s a lesson America has nearly forgot= ten. While our technological economy helped propel us to global dominance, = we’ve lost the founding insight that created the conditions for that = success. As we foster the next generation of technologies, our ability to b= uffer and absorb the disruptions of integrating these systems may be found = wanting. The country is more technologically powerful than ever, yet arguab= ly more politically and culturally divided than it has been since the Civil= War.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 2= 6px;font-size: 16px;"><span>But steering America towards one version of the= good life won’t work. Its population size, geographic expanse, insti= tutional complexity, ethnic diversity, staggered wealth, and talent distrib= utions all frustrate efforts to forge a homogeneous political entity. Ameri= ca is a vast republic of disparate populations, with regional differences e= quivalent to the ethnic and cultural divides that elsewhere define entire n= ations. Uniformity was never part of the original plan anyway. Madison in F= ederalist 10 </span><a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/5f16d995-ece3-= 4fc8-8c01-4ae66638aa7a?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8= UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA" rel=3D"" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration: un= derline;">argued</a><span> that a large republic's diversity would be a saf= eguard against tyranny, with competing factions checking each other's power= =2E</span></p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20= px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height= : 26px;font-size: 16px;">America’s successes in the 18th and 19th cen= turies led it to grow beyond its original identity. Today’s America i= s neither Puritan “city on the hill” nor Western frontier. It&#= 8217;s not an art deco megalopolis, suburban strip mall, or network of town= ships, yeoman farms, or bowling leagues. All of these things continue to in= form what we call “American,” but they do not capture the reali= ty of a country transformed by mass production, global trade, or the digita= l revolution. America may have been the architect of much of this change, b= ut the forces it has unleashed set the country on a path that will test the= principles of its liberalism.</p><h3 class=3D"header-anchor-post" style=3D= "position: relative;font-family: 'SF Pro Display',-apple-system-headline,sy= stem-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,= sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weig= ht: bold;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antia= liased;-webkit-appearance: optimizelegibility;-moz-appearance: optimizelegi= bility;appearance: optimizelegibility;margin: 1em 0 0.625em 0;color: rgb(54= ,55,55);line-height: 1.16em;font-size: 1.375em;"><strong>How the West was w= on</strong></h3><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-he= ight: 26px;font-size: 16px;">Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence = stakes political legitimacy on “the consent of the governed.” C= itizens agree to government authority in exchange for protection of their n= atural rights: to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.</p><p style= =3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16= px;">Like Locke before him, Jefferson grounds these rights in divine endowm= ent. But Locke’s move was to relocate divine authority from the ruler= to the ruled, to shift moral leverage from king to citizen. If legitimate = power flows from the social contract, then power must be constrained by wha= t authorizes it.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);lin= e-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;">While Locke and Jefferson addressed the th= eoretical basis of consent, a practical question remained: What kind of pol= itical order deserves that consent? Throughout Western history, political p= rojects have repeatedly tried and failed to organize successfully around an= y single ideal. For the founding generation, consent was earned differently= : by a government that would let each citizen pursue the best life as they = understood it. Not through any imposed framework, but according to ideals t= hey chose for themselves. These ideals were “pre-liberal,” with= much deeper historical roots.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb= (54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;"><span>What we call “We= stern civilization” is not a monolith. It isn't one religion, one set= of institutions, one science, one epic poem, or one artistic movement. The= West is better understood as a dynamic order, driven by tension between th= ree main traditions—the heroic, the philosophic, and the biblicalR= 12;that pictured the good life in ways that are sometimes compatible but of= tentimes not.</span><br><br><span>These begin in the ancient world, with Ho= mer and the Mesopotamian epics laying out the archetype of the hero—t= he vision of the best life associated with military prowess, camaraderie, a= dventure, and friendship. There is also the Greek philosophic tradition, wh= ich attempts to replace Achilles with Socrates as the model of the best lif= e. In doing so, it set the stage for a new kind of intellectual culture in = the West, and ultimately laid the foundations for Western science. And fina= lly, there is the biblical tradition, which rejects both the heroic and the= philosophic claims to happiness in favor of the life of pious devotion, el= evating the father rather than the philosopher as leader and celebrating th= e family as his proper concern. Philosophy and biblical faith both critique= the heroic life, but there is a fundamental tension between their respecti= ve appeals to reason and the voice of revelation.</span><br><br><span>The W= est’s medieval period was marked by attempts to synthesize the biblic= al with the philosophical into a unified intellectual and cultural vision. = The Church’s accomplishments in this direction are admirable and its = institutional longevity remarkable. But despite its efforts, and in some wa= ys because of them, Western powers found their way more often to war than t= o peace. Roman Christendom, which in many respects superseded the empire, d= id not enjoy the worldly stability or authority of its predecessor. </span>= <br><br><span>The movement we call the Enlightenment was prompted by the tu= mult of religious warfare to replace the Church’s synthetic vision. S= tarting with Machiavelli, thinkers who saw themselves as distinctly modern = sought to flatten the tension in Western Dynamism by rearticulating the rel= ation between politics, reason, and revelation. With Bacon and Descartes, a= new vision of reason emerged in the form of a powerful experimental and te= chnological science, one that promised substantial material progress if onl= y politics and religion could make the appropriate accommodations.</span><b= r><br><span>The Enlightenment brought dramatic improvements to our material= well-being and expanded human knowledge in unprecedented ways. Yet despite= these achievements, the moderns failed to produce the stable political ord= er they had hoped for. Instead, the Enlightenment unleashed waves of revolu= tion which crested in the convulsive ideological wars of the twentieth cent= ury, the echoes of which still define our politics.</span></p><p style=3D"m= argin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;">= <span>Ironically, the West’s own greatest thinkers had long warned ag= ainst such totalizing ambitions. From Plato and Aristotle’s warnings = about the false promises of a political </span><em>techne</em><span> for th= e human condition, to Bacon’s insistence on purifying science from it= s idols, to Hume and Nietzsche’s concerns about the psychologically m= otivated distortions of reason, the philosophical tradition consistently ur= ged skepticism toward any single vision of harmony through reason.</span></= p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;fon= t-size: 16px;">The Enlightenment sought to resolve the fundamental tensions= of Western civilization—to release the energy in the bowstring—= ;by flattening competing claims into a unified rational system. But Western= Dynamism draws its generative energy precisely from maintaining that tensi= on, from the ongoing interplay among heroic action, philosophical contempla= tion, pious devotion, and other forms of excellence that continue to emerge= =2E</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;co= lor: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;= font-size: 16px;">Rather than trying to resolve these tensions, America fou= nd a different path. The intellectual crucible of Western Dynamism has forg= ed a pantheon of America’s greatest leaders and thinkers: MadisonR= 17;s education in the history of statecraft, Lincoln’s reading of Sha= kespeare and the Bible, the religious discipline of J.P. Morgan and its eff= ect on Teddy Roosevelt, the incredible self-education of Frederick Douglass= and his defense of the self-made man, the futurist aspirations of Walt Dis= ney, the theological appeals of Martin Luther King Jr., the compassionate a= ctivism of Dorothy Day, and the progressive vision of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.<= /p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;fo= nt-size: 16px;">If a nation is vindicated by the greatness of its individua= ls, then the American willingness to trust its citizens to inform and defin= e their own vision has been one of the most successful wagers in the histor= y of civilization.</p><h3 class=3D"header-anchor-post" style=3D"position: r= elative;font-family: 'SF Pro Display',-apple-system-headline,system-ui,-app= le-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'= Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight: bold;-we= bkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing: antialiased;-webk= it-appearance: optimizelegibility;-moz-appearance: optimizelegibility;appea= rance: optimizelegibility;margin: 1em 0 0.625em 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line= -height: 1.16em;font-size: 1.375em;"><strong>The next reconfiguration </str= ong></h3><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 2= 6px;font-size: 16px;">America emerged from the wars of the twentieth centur= y as the supreme power in the West, indeed the supreme power on the planet.= But its successes, attributable to its modern liberal principles and espec= ially its technological political economy, pushed it to grow and re-fashion= itself in ways that departed from its founding form.</p><p style=3D"margin= : 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16px;">For A= merica to find its path, it needs to reckon with these changes in a way tha= t re-sanctifies its fundamental principles. Liberalism earns our consent no= t because it tells people what specific vision of the good life to pursue, = but because it affords us the space to take seriously the competing visions= that define what is possible. It allows us the freedom to pursue the eleme= nts of Western Dynamism—the very ideals that we look to for meaning, = even while we acknowledge that no single one can serve as the basis for gov= ernance.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height= : 26px;font-size: 16px;">America pays its highest tribute to this conceptio= n of consent through its commitment to liberal education. At their best, Am= erican schools preserve contact with the competing visions that drive our c= ivilization. From this interplay, conflict, and debate, each person has the= opportunity to frame their life in terms of some fundamental calling: to h= eroic action, to philosophical inquiry, to pious devotion, to innovative cr= eation, or to other callings that our traditions continue to generate. In p= rotecting the opportunity for its citizens to find the sources that will en= hance and deepen their lives, America already knows how to reaffirm genuine= consent.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-heigh= t: 26px;font-size: 16px;">America’s great centers of liberal educatio= n are possible because our market economy has generated unprecedented prosp= erity through innovation and the coordination of human knowledge. By invest= ing in this outlet, America understands that it is only through education&#= 8212;which cultivates both practical competence and serious engagement with= the sources of meaning—that we each learn to redeem our freedom.</p>= <p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-= size: 16px;">Now, we face a moment where machines are capable of performing= cognitive labor. As AI systems enter the realm of deliberation itself, we = must renew our commitment to education even as its professional utility beg= ins to wane. Thinking machines could actually help. By making learning more= efficient AI can free time for deeper exploration; as a Socratic interlocu= tor, it may stimulate curiosity about alternative paths; through the right = kind of personalization, it might help individuals discover and develop the= ir unique gifts. Building on the tradition of liberal education, we ought t= o utilize our freedom to access and more fully inhabit the visions of life = that supply their own justification. When human purpose will be least defin= ed by our “work” or “labor,” America ought to prote= ct and promote efforts to “try on” the best lives.</p><p style= =3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16= px;">That’s what education lets us do: to experience the goods that w= ill most attach us to life itself, especially when so much around us is lik= ely to be radically altered by waves of technological change.</p><p style= =3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16= px;">Many will be tempted to use AI to impose simple solutions to America&#= 8217;s divisions rather than doing the harder work of maintaining creative = tension. Some will seek enforced unity through algorithmic conformity that = homogenizes intellectual life. Others will embrace managed fragmentation th= rough filter bubbles that prevent engagement with competing traditions. Sti= ll others will respond to AI’s uncertainty by demanding centralized p= olitical control, seeking global governance structures or expansive regulat= ory regimes. Each path abandons the productive difficulty that Western Dyna= mism requires.</p><p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-= height: 26px;font-size: 16px;">But for us to benefit from AI, just like we&= #8217;ve benefited from other advanced technologies, America needs to prote= ct the freedom for each community and for each individual to experiment wit= h what works best for them. America cannot afford to aim for Spartan unity;= but this does not mean that it needs to embrace a radically permissive spi= rit where all values are deemed equal. Rather, it needs to offer its citize= ns a clearer path to affirming their consent by choosing and living out som= e vision of the good life, an encouragement to become the person they seek = to be. The virtues that define the best lives may be rivalrous, but they ar= e not relative, nor are they the products of simple preference.</p><p style= =3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-size: 16= px;margin-bottom: 0;">America will do us, itself, and the West the most goo= d if it protects our ability to take ourselves seriously. Just as previous = eras tested Western civilization’s willingness to maintain creative f= riction, our technological age demands that America once again redeem the f= reedom we otherwise take for granted. That is the promise of Western Dynami= sm: to embrace that our strength comes from tension, not unity.</p></div></= div><div class=3D"post-contributor-footer" style=3D"margin-top: 16px;font-s= ize: 16px;line-height: 26px;"><div class=3D"container-border" style=3D"marg= in: 32px 0 0;width: 100%;box-sizing: border-box;border-top: 1px solid #e6e6= e6;font-size: 16px;line-height: 26px;"></div><div class=3D"post-contributor= -bio" data-user-id=3D"866604" style=3D"line-height: 26px;margin: 28px 0;fon= t-family: system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helv= etica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbo= l';color: #363737;font-size: 16px;"><table class=3D"post-contributor-bio-ta= ble" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" style=3D"font-family: system-ui,-a= pple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif= ,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';color: #363737;font= -size: 16px;width: 100%;"><tbody><tr 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class=3D"post-contributor-bio-body-table" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspa= cing=3D"0" style=3D"font-family: system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont= ,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI= Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';color: #363737;font-size: 16px;margin-top: 0;widt= h: 100%;"><tbody><tr class=3D"post-contributor-bio-body-table-row"><td clas= s=3D"post-contributor-bio-copy-cell"><a class=3D"post-contributor-bio-title= " href=3D"https://substack.com/@brendanmccord?utm_campaign=3Dguest_post_bio= &utm_medium=3Demail" style=3D"color: #363737;font-weight: 600;display: bloc= k;text-decoration: none;margin-bottom: 7px;">Brendan McCord</a><div class= =3D"post-contributor-bio-text" style=3D"font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;"= >The Academy for Philosopher-Builders (www.cosmos-institute.org)</div></td>= </tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class= =3D"postscript-placeholder" style=3D"margin: 32px 0 0;width: 100%;box-sizin= g: 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