By Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D. A Nation in Turmoil France is once again in the grip of mass protest and political turbulence. On September 18, 2025, more than 800,000 citizens across sectors — teachers, transport workers, hospital staff — joined one of the biggest strikes in years. A movement called Bloquons Tout (“Block Everything”) erected […]
Free Speech, Offense, and Violence: A Five-Stage Journey Introduction Few issues test democracy more than the tension between freedom of expression and the offense it may cause to minority or vulnerable groups. What happens when free speech mocks a sacred religion, satirizes a god’s image, or denies the existence of LGBTQ identities? For some, this
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From Fear to Flourishing: J.S. Mill’s On Liberty Through the Five Stages Introduction Few works have shaped modern democracy as deeply as John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859). In it, Mill defends the freedom of thought, speech, and individuality against the oppressive weight of government and social conformity. But Mill’s arguments are more than political
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Hayek’s Road to Serfdom Through the Five-Stage Lens Introduction Friedrich Hayek’s classic The Road to Serfdom (1944) remains one of the most influential works in political economy. His warning was simple yet powerful: central economic planning inevitably leads to authoritarianism, while individual liberty and market order safeguard freedom. Hayek’s book inspired generations of conservatives and
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Introduction: A Tragedy that Demands Reflection On August 22, 2025, tragedy struck in Charlotte when Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed aboard the city’s Lynx Blue Line train. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had a long criminal record and a well-documented history of severe mental illness. He had been arrested multiple times,
