The University Bookman

“Roberts has perceived the deep and fundamental crisis within the American body politic, and that crisis is a spiritual crisis.”

“…Haven draws attention to the relevance of Girard’s writings for our times. When reading many of the other chapters she chose, I could not help thinking about contemporary American social and political disorders. In ‘The Totalitarian Trial’ and ‘Retribution,’ for example, Girard argues Job’s alleged friends, like Stalin’s interrogators, are really representatives of the community demanding Job’s consent to his own persecution. The unity of the community hinges on Job’s willingness to confess his ‘crimes.’ Only then can he be killed and forgotten, ‘unpersoned,’ as Orwell would say. A similar dynamic is at work in cancel culture.”

“The purpose of the book is to understand the reasons for the intricate electoral system, which has proven to be remarkably stable and orderly throughout American history. Mainly addressed to an Italian audience that is naturally less familiar with American voting, it can also be useful for Americans to understand how the whole design is ordered to secure a fair system against totalitarian democracy.”

“A just polity grows as we acquire a moral sense, which fosters attitudes and actions of benevolence toward others…”