Author Archives: Joshua Gibbs

Tradition and Progress: How To Be Conservative All By Yourself

“One of the most interesting differences between progressives and traditionalists is their rival beliefs about personal responsibility. Progressive philosophy is chiefly concerned with changing society, which usually entails changing other people whether they like it or not. It is difficult to imagine a lone progressive individual living out a progressive worldview in a society otherwiseContinue reading “Tradition and Progress: How To Be Conservative All By Yourself”

We Are Perplexed

The prodigal son realizes he must return home. The realization does nothing but begin a journey. The realization is not the journey. The realization is intellectual, abstract, spiritual. Then comes the physical agony of a potentially pointless journey home. The potentially pointless nature of journey–this is what the Apostle means when he says, “We areContinue reading “We Are Perplexed”

If You Are A Lousy Father, You Have To Figure It Out On Your Own

“In mulling Mr. Collins over for the last several days, I have come (once again) to a rather sobering thesis: I might be a lousy father. It is a thesis which follows inevitably from two rather simple facts, both easily proved by an honest, unsentimental assessment of the world. First, lousy fathers exist. Second, lousy fathers are unlikely to beContinue reading “If You Are A Lousy Father, You Have To Figure It Out On Your Own”

New Music From Dustin O’Halloran

Dustin O’Halloran isn’t as clever as Chilly Gonzales, but he is one of the most elegant living composers of solo piano pieces. O’Halloran’s Piano Solos 1 and Piano Solos 2 are among my favorite records of all time. Melancholic, contemplative, bookish: O’Halloran unapologetically borrows from the nocturnes of 18th century Irish composer John Field, thoughContinue reading “New Music From Dustin O’Halloran”