International Journal of Lay Philosophy

“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible….” A couple of months ago, I installed Substack. I didn’t know much about Substack before installing it and after having used it (as a reader not a writer), I still don’t know much about it. Nevertheless, downloading it and entering the stream of inchoate thoughts intensified a sentiment I had been ruminating on for some time. I think if there is any conclusion to be drawn from the proliferation of content in our age it is that most of everyone has not much to say. Everyone is a writer and not many people have anything worth writing. Everyone has opinions and not many people have opinions worth eight cents. Everyone has something to say and, at the same time, nothing to say. In other words, giving everyone a platform has made us (or, rather, me) realize that no one really deserves one.  I am, of course, nothing but a hypocrite in saying this. I am writing my opinion of other p...

  “There is always in the healthy mind an obscure prompting that religion teaches us rather to dig than to climb; that if we could once understand the common clay of earth we should understand everything.” - G.K. Chesterton I once heard of a boy (about 16 or 17) who wanted a motorcycle. But above all, he wanted his father's approval and made the prudent choice of asking his father not only for permission but also for his opinion. The father, being as prudent as his son (prudence being a product of synergy if not hereditary), told him to write out all the ways owning a motorcycle might bring glory to God. The son, seeing the wisdom in such a task, went out and attempted it. Later, he came back and informed his father he decided he didn't want a motorcycle. The exact reason he changed his mind is a bit unclear to me, though I make the reasonable inference the son was unable to see how God might be glorified in his motorcycle and therefore concluded it was not worth having. Both p...

  Zohran Mamdani's impending mayorship puts our democratic system to the test. New York City elected a new mayor yesterday, 34-year-old upstart Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, glibly espouses all sorts of progressive economic policies designed to lower the high cost of living in NYC. Foremost among these are freezing rent prices, a free subway system, and city-owned grocery stores: a classic-hits lineup of Failed-Every-Time Socialism singles. Even so, boosted by an incredibly well-run political campaign, Mamdani shocked the establishment Democrat candidate Andrew Cuomo in the primary, and then, yesterday, defeated him again in the general election. Inconsolable, our nation's news-cycle artists are in turmoil.  Republicans and Democrats each have their problems with Mamdani. Mainstream Democrats remain, for the most part, leery of so openly tearing down the comfort of our free-market system, along with the alienation of important wealthy donors...

Real conservatism has never been tried.  It's not the aspect of Trump's rise to power and the MAGA movement that irks me the most, but it certainly is an aspect that irks me: the nearly-constant description of Trump supporters, Republicans, and Trump himself as "conservative". It's everywhere, everyone does it, left and right, Democrat and Republican. And I get it, of course. The GOP certainly used to be the more conservative of the two parties. Its legacy contains great conservative presidents, such as Lincoln and Reagan, and was the consensus home of conservative thinkers including Russell Kirk, Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, and William Buckley's National Review. Even now, Republican politicians often hearken back (at least verbally) to traditional conservative policies such as limited government, the rule of law, and the free market. But that Republican party has perished at the wake of Trump's ascension. The Republican party of today is not conservat...

We're two friends who decided to start a blog, firstly for our betterment, but hopefully also for yours. We'll write about whatever interests us, but we'll focus mainly on politics, theology, literature, and general philosophy. Thanks for visiting, and feel free to subscribe if you're interested in following along! Jared Martin is currently an accountant in northern Michigan. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting Management and a Master's in Bible. Jared is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs and Bears. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with his home server or cooking for his wife. He's previously written at  his personal blog .  Timothy Bonzon is currently completing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Because he's like a nerd