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Jonathan Church, CFA

@jondavidchurch.bsky.social
1.6K followers 2.3K following 383 posts

Economist & author. Cancer survivor (so far). Senior editor at merionwest.com. Enjoy philosophy, literature, & history. Critic of capitalism. Pro-union. People over profits. It should have been Bernie.

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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The "bottom line" is that it simply must become socially unacceptable to pay workers low wages with no benefits, in the same way that the 8-hour workday was normalized.
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Embrace the Void @etvpod.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Really good piece by Jonathan applying a luck aware mindset to the Lindsay Clancy trial and mental illness based bad moral luck in general. I think there are significant overlaps between this topic and cases where parents leave babies in cars. Folks really struggle to accept that it’s an accident.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Fwiw, I have a new piece up on why the Lindsay Clancy trial made me even more of a feminist than I already was. The philosophy of luck is a big theme too. goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
Why the Trial of Lindsay Clancy Made Me Even More of a Feminist Than I Already Was
American society and its institutions have failed women in countless ways.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Fwiw, I interviewed voting rights attorney David Walbert about his new book on the history of stolen elections in Americ: www.merionwest.com/the-long-his...
merionwest.com
The Long History of Disputed and Stolen Elections in America
Recent Gallup polling suggests that a majority of Americans, across the political spectrum, remain concerned about the integrity of elections as we approach the midterms. Attorney David Walbert sugges...
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fwiw, I wrote a lengthy defense of postmodern philosophy: medium.com/@john.church...
medium.com
In Defense of Postmodern Philosophy
Over the last decade, it has become something of a cottage industry among right-wing pundits, influencers, and mountebanks to put their own…
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Civil Defense Institute @civildefenseinst.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"NEW RESEARCH GROUP IN TOWN: The Civil Defense Institute, a nonpartisan investigative research group, is launching today to zero in on actors who undermine civil society and Americans’ freedom to participate in public life." www.politico.com/influence
politico.com
POLITICO Influence
Latino lawmakers, staff and lobbyists are taking over the Washington convention center tonight for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual awards gala. But all anyone wants to talk about ...
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Civil Defense Institute @civildefenseinst.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Extremism, conspiracy-driven campaigns, foreign influence operations and online harassment run through networks built to avoid scrutiny. We built an organization to scrutinize them. The Civil Defense Institute is live: civildefenseinstitute.org
civildefenseinstitute.org
Civil Defense
Evidence-backed research profiles of organizations and the people who connect them.
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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Please give our newly launched investigative research organization’s account a follow: @civildefenseinst.bsky.social We are digging into the extremist networks undermining our democracy and constitutional rights. Read our first reports and profiles here: civildefenseinstitute.org
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.merionwest.com/the-man-who-...
merionwest.com
The Man Who Dreamed of Rocket Ships
MG Allan
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
It is inconceivable to my feeble mind that these guys became that much more valuable to society during that time.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Just 10 people have already poured $617 MILLION into this year’s midterm elections. In the entire 2008 presidential cycle, the last election before Citizens United, total billionaire spending was $16 million. This is not sustainable. We need to get Big Money out of our democracy.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
"Mean thieves lie in dungeons and in the stocks, while public thieves go about in gold and silk." Cato, Roman senator
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 05/06/2026
NEW: "We’re privatizing gains for Musk and socializing the costs for the rest of us." www.thebulwark.com/p/congrats-y...
thebulwark.com
Congrats. You’re About to Unwittingly Make Elon Musk a Trillionaire.
SpaceX is IPOing next week. And there’s a good chance you’re gonna own a portion of it—whether you like it or not.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
1/Friedrich Hayek: "It would probably contribute more to human happiness if, instead of trying to make remuneration correspond to merit, we made clearer how uncertain is the connection between value and merit. We are probably all much too ready to ascribe personal merit where there is, in fact,
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
voegelinview.com/in-praise-of...
voegelinview.com
In Praise of Eccentricity - VoegelinView
In recent weeks, I have been vexed by distinct, if brief, moments of discomfort about the roughly one thousand books in my possession. While escorting a plumber and an Internet technician into my apar...
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Great piece by @mattpolprof.bsky.social jacobin.com/2026/05/saad...
jacobin.com
Gad Saad Is Very Mad That His Books Are Bad and Sad
Gad Saad is a staple of the anti-woke dark web. But his new book, Suicidal Empathy, is proof that the supposedly “intellectual” wing of the New Right is running on fumes.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Merion West is now publishing fiction. Check out our three debut stories, including my favorite, "The Bubble" by Philip Dean Walker. www.merionwest.com/tag/arts-fic...
merionwest.com
Fiction - Merion West
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
“One of the reasons that countries like Denmark are happy is because they have social safety nets… The lack of income inequality means people have an excuse to follow their purpose, which can allow people to feel like their life is better.” Interesting insights into happiness—gift link:
nytimes.com
Want to ‘Optimize’ Your Happiness? This Happiness Expert Says: Don’t.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
www.merionwest.com/in-the-digit...
merionwest.com
In the Digital Age, the Need to Remain Human Is Stronger Than Ever
Patricia Martin joins Jonathan Church to discuss her new book that brings Jung’s ideas about the self and the persona into the age of social media and AI. Although concerned about technology’s toll on...
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
stoicsocialjustice.substack.com/p/family-and...
stoicsocialjustice.substack.com
Family and Gender in the Factory System: For the Lowell Mill Girls
By: Ayler Roskos
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
The Capitalist Pursuit of Profit Over People in the Realm of Social Media
Are we sacrificing the health of our children on the altar of commodification and profits?
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
freethinker.co.uk/2026/03/capi...
freethinker.co.uk
Capitalism Is a Nightmare. AI and Amazon Make It Worse. - The Freethinker
For all the marvels of capitalism, two core features of capitalist societies expose a devastating contradiction in the…
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
www.merionwest.com/why-we-have-...
merionwest.com
Why We Have Banned Social Media for Our Child
As debates swirl in legislatures around the world about restricting children's social media use, senior editor Jonathan Church offers his own experience raising a daughter while limiting screens.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
areomagazine.com/2021/01/13/p...
areomagazine.com
Pragmatism, Empiricism and the Meaning of Truth
At the turn of the twentieth century, philosopher and psychologist William James arrived at a theory of truth and knowledge called radical empiricism. By
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
www.sublationmag.com/post/four-re...
sublationmag.com
Four Reasons Why We Should Not Have Billionaires
After Zohran Mamdani's comments on Billionaires spark opposition, Jonathan Church lays out four key arguments as to why they should not exist.
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
There's something almost wholesome about those numbers. A throwback to a time when people genuinely thought government worked for citizens in good faith...
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
The problem with meritocracy is the very concept of merit itself. It's not that the rich are not meritorious, even if that is true, but that merit itself as an organizing principle of society is fundamentally flawed.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." George Orwell, 1984
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
America ranking 32nd in overall quality of life has to sting because of how utterly unnecessary it is www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Unhappiness
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
My new piece for @currentaffairs.bsky.social
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Few contemporary books illuminate the malaise of inequality more than The Meritocracy Trap & The Tyranny of Merit. The meritocratic society has become a dystopia
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-fas...
currentaffairs.org
Why Fascists Always Come for the Socialists First
Contrary to right-wing myths that the "Nazis were socialist," fascists despise socialism and want to destroy it. Here's why the left poses such a threat to them.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
www.merionwest.com/reflecting-o...
merionwest.com
Reflecting on Tragedy: From Brown University to Bondi Beach
Senior editor Jonathan Church, writing in the wake of horrific shootings in Rhode Island and Australia, reflects on the death of his own mother, wringing meaning from tragedy, and what it is to live i...
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
"Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats Too noble to neglect Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect Good and bad, I define these terms Quite clear, no doubt, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now" Bob Dylan, My Back Pages
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Embrace the Void @etvpod.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Have we considered that maybe a credentialing obsessed, hyper-competitive meritocratic pedagogy was the real monster all along?
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
In the richest city in the richest country on the planet, the thing we can’t afford is to forget those who are left hungry.
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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
The Cyber Barrons are the Robber Barons of our time. We need more antitrust enforcement, not less, to break up their digital monopolies. It is necessary to counter their obscene wealth, power and influence in our democracy.
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
My piece on meritocracy for @liberalcurrents.com
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
👍👊👏 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
‘It’s PR, not the ER’: Gen Z is resisting the workplace emergency
In an evolving workforce, Gen Z is rejecting a frenetic, stress-inducing approach to work that crosses work-life balance boundaries and leads to burnout.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Libertarianism in a nutshell: what's mine is mine, what's yours could be mine.
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Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
I love that Robert Redford did not want a public funeral, a theater of applause and tribute. Just another sign that he was a great man.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Charisma has always struck me as a red flag in a person. It is almost like a personality flaw that I am inclined to distrust.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
www.axios.com/2025/09/08/a...
axios.com
Americans give capitalism its lowest ever rating in new Gallup survey
A slim majority of Americans rate capitalism positively.
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist." Kenneth Boulding
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Jonathan Church, CFA @jondavidchurch.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
www.youtube.com/shorts/OOypC...
youtube.com
David Foster Wallace on Importance of Quiet
YouTube video by Daily Philosopher
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