From Human Affairs, a special issue on Pragmatism in the Contemporary World. An interview with James Kalb, author of The Tyranny of Liberalism: Understanding and Overcoming Administered Freedom, Inquisitorial Tolerance, and Equality by Command. In praise of the coup: Military takeovers can be a good thing for African democracy. From TNR, a review of Children of the Revolution: The French, 1799-1914 by Robert Gildea. From International Viewpoint, a look at how the crisis overdetermines all of world politics and how the left should respond. A look at how FreedomWorks gave the Teabaggers a Dirty Sanchez. From NYRB, a review essay on the flowering genius of Maria Sibylla Merian (and more at Bookforum). From the IRB, does edgy YA fiction go too far? Julie McGuire wants to know; and a review of Ceremonial Violence: A Psychological Explanation of School Shootings by Jonathan Fast. A review of Columbine by Dave Cullen (and an interview and more and more and more and more and more; and a series at Slate, including the four most important lessons of Columbine). A review of No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech by Lucinda Roy. Harvey Mansfield has a question for the economists: Is the overly predicted life worth living?
