You guys, it’s ok, we figured it out, we have the plan to torpedo secular modernity & capitalism, details to follow.
Overall: basically a mashup of the best college seminar ever plus hanging out with my uncles & cousins at my mom’s family’s place in Connecticut. Theopolitical nerdiness, localist economics, barhopping with people whose books you like a whole lot, talking to everyone about everything. Plus just incredibly convenient for research: you have a question about something you think about on a regular basis–new urbanism or Georgist economics or the theology of the built environment or the inevitably disastrous trajectory of liberalism, and you don’t need to google it, you can just ask the guy who is drinking over there.
Followed by conterrevolutionary sleepover with Grace Potts at Elias’ house in Valparaiso.
Takeaways:
- Jason Peters is setting himself up to be the subject of the First Annual FPR Roast, to be (surely) spearheaded by Patrick Deneen in revenge.
- Bill Kauffman’s love for all things seasonally pumpkin flavored continues unabated.
- Mark Mitchell’s students have facial hair & dress sense that is strangely and charmingly reminiscent of Jules Verne characters.
- Jeff Taylor accidentally sounds like a Marxist sometimes but is accident, is just populist really.
Radio Free Thulcandra 
The distinctions between populism and Marxism are frequently over-emphasized, usually by people who want to insist that their fondness for one absolutely does not entail any fondness for the other.
Well yes, but I have it on good authority from Jeff that he is not a fellow traveller, and Clinton Collister & Sarah can attest to this. I went over to him, with them as backup, at the cocktail place afterwards and said, “Taylor, I’m here to pick a fight…”