How to turn the corner?
How do we go forward, socially and politically, from where we are today? I start what I expect will be a long discussion at Catholic World Report.
Practical politics
Technocracy and technocrats
The following is the text of a lecture I presented at the Roman Forum conference in Gardone, Italy, on July 6, 2026:
Introduction
Today I am going to talk about technocracy, that is, about the attempt to make a governing principle out of increasing power through modern scientific reasoning without reference to its intended use. … More ...
The challenge of applying Catholic social teaching
If Catholicism rejects necessity as a defense, no matter what the circumstances, and Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, how do we make sense of Catholic participation in politics and Catholic Social Teaching? I discuss at Catholic World Report.
Making sense of Donald Trump
I attempt to do so at Catholic World Report.
The reset we need
I continue to complain about the vacancy of current public life and call for a basic change of direcion on Catholic World Repoort.
The Gospel, politics, and love of God
I discuss the relation between politics and the Gospel at Catholic World Report.
Clear diagnosis, unclear remedies?
Here’s the text of a lecture I presented July 9, 2025, at the Roman Forum conference in Gardone, Italy:
Clear Diagnosis, Unclear Remedies?
James Kalb
Introduction
To understand the world and ourselves we need to take God and nature seriously. But what do we do then? People complain that talking about God and nature tells … More ...
Remembering Joseph de Maistre
I have a piece in Chronicles on the Savoyard counterrevotionary that’s part of their Remembering the Right series.
What way to a better world?
I do a little noodling about what Catholics should be doing now that social orthodoxies have been somewhat unsettled by the Trump victory, at Catholic World Report.
MAGA, Trump, and the vision thing
Like everybody else, I comment on the whole Trump victory thing.