Author: Edmund Wilson

Musician

‘Expérgo’ (EP) by NMIXX: Ingenious, exhilarating pop — with signs of something new

I have reviewed NMIXX’s music before. Contrasting with (G)-ILDE’s dark themes and BLACKPINK’s balanced approach to the musical world and its palette of human emotions, NMIXX is unflinchingly positive. The opening song samples the folk tune ‘Frère Jacques’, with both cheek and respect for the original. The whole approach of K-Pop these days feels like … Continue reading ‘Expérgo’ (EP) by NMIXX: Ingenious, exhilarating pop — with signs of something new →

Trade makes war: A social theory of violence

War and violence are words that denote extreme forms of social behaviour, even referred to as asocial or antisocial behaviour, in keeping with the immoral and dehumanising acts they accompany. But this was not always the case. War and violence were once seen as far more normal parts of the human conditions than they are … Continue reading Trade makes war: A social theory of violence →

Against the destruction of free thought: Why only Ye can avert a Third World War and prevent a new Holocaust — some lessons from Hilberg, Arendt, Mearsheimer, et al.

‘Men have been found to resist the most powerful monarchs and to refuse to bow down before them, but few indeed have been found to resist the crowd, to stand up alone before misguided masses, to face their implacable frenzy without weapons and with folded arms to dare a no when a yes is demanded. … Continue reading Against the destruction of free thought: Why only Ye can avert a Third World War and prevent a new Holocaust — some lessons from Hilberg, Arendt, Mearsheimer, et al. →

The realist school: An emerging paradigm

First published on 14 June 2022. Sometimes, intellectual thought undergoes a rupture that cannot be stopped. It does not matter how much you resist the conceptual tsunami, or how far you run. It will tear down what you know, and force any remaining ideas to cluster around the victorious Noah’s ark of the God-given intellectual … Continue reading The realist school: An emerging paradigm →

Word of the Week: Foundationalism

First published on my legacy blog Principia Politica, based on an exam essay awarded full marks in the Cambridge Philosophy Pre-U (A Level equivalent) in 2018, ultimately contributing to highest mark in the world for the Philosophy & Theology Pre-U that year (losing only one mark in an essay on free will). Are there secure … Continue reading Word of the Week: Foundationalism →

The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class

‘I could build a new Rome in one day.’ Ye, ‘Clique’, from Kanye West Presents, Good Music - Cruel Summer As the title of this article suggests, I want to propose a populist manifesto — a manifesto to transfer power from the wealthy and powerful back to the people of the world. This does not … Continue reading The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class →

Donda, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, and the sonic revolution of the 2020s

Music since the year 2000 has gone through three phases, which can be bracketed by the most prominent popular song at the turn of each decade. 1. … Baby One More Time by Britney Spears (1999) 2. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga (2009) 3. bad guy by Billie Eilish (2019) While the first and second … Continue reading Donda, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, and the sonic revolution of the 2020s →

Donda: A track-by-track review

See also: my review of Kendrick Lamar’s latest album. I’ve decided to write up a complete review of Donda, the tenth studio album by Ye, the musical artist/producer/rapper formerly known as Kanye West. I’m going to open with my basic claim: this album is enormously influential but also extremely competent and creative on its own … Continue reading Donda: A track-by-track review →