Tag Archives: authoritarian

Never has our future been more unpredictable

Posted on August 29, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Never has our future been more unpredictable, never have we depended so much on political forces that cannot be trusted to follow the rules of common sense and self-interest—forces that look like sheer insanity, if judged by the standards of … Continue reading →

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on tyranny

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I know that I’ve posted about Timothy Snyder’s Twenty Lessons on Tyranny a number of times, but we are staring at the abyss in the United States and Democracy is on the verge of ruination. In this 10-minute video, John Lithgow reads … Continue reading →

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Graphic Lessons on the Twentieth Century

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

When Dr. Timothy Snyder’s powerful book  On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century was published in 2017, I was a vocal evangelist for the book and its message. Now, the Yale history professor has released an updated and illustrated … Continue reading →

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Thought Crimes

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

The excellent TED-ED lesson below was written and narrated by Noah Tavlin. It offers a clear and succinct explanation of what the term “Orwellian” actually means. A helpful reminder to be discerning in our word choice, too.

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