The Ideas Letter
Issue 42 of The Ideas Letter begins with a meditation on two recent books of consequence: Peter Beinart’s Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza and Pankaj Mishra’s The World After Gaza. Linda Kinstler, an uncommonly subtle and discerning writer, takes the measure of the texts and asks whether the catastrophes of the present can inspire learnings for the future.
Our spotlight then stays on Beinart as the writer Eric Alterman reflects on the reception of Beinart’s book and the complicated personal and intellectual journey Beinart has taken over the decades.
A searching essay from the writer and editor Celeste Marcus sustains this issue’s meditative register, as she imagines her own tradition of Judaism as a palimpsest, and all that this implies for the structuring of her faith.
Our curated section leads with an inspired interpretation of the Argentine made-for-TV science fiction series The Eternaut by Jordana Timerman, managing editor of The Ideas Letter. She writes about how ordinary people face existential dread, and how the adaptation of the classic reflects a society scarred by decades of dictatorship and economic crises.
Argentina stays in focus with scholar-activist Verónica Gago, who takes stock of the last decade of feminist organizing in the country and its turn for the worse under President Javier Milei.
We follow with a taped discussion with the writer John Cassidy on his masterful new doorstopper Capitalism and Its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI. Cassidy covers essential ground in this conversation with the economist-pundit Doug Henwood.
We conclude with an interview with the historian Sandipto Dasgupta about his own new book Legalizing the Revolution: India and the Constitution of the Postcolony which focuses attention on the complicated road from anticolonialism organizing to the creation of a constitutional order.
Featured Essays
What is The Ideas Letter
Welcome to The Ideas Letter, a publication that prizes the unconventional. We are not in the business of persuading. We won’t try to convince you of anything—other than that the world is complex and reality ever-shifting. We are not here to advocate. What you will find, and we hope embrace, are contributions from across ideological aisles, from a broad range of disciplines and a true cross-section of thinking. If catholicity is your métier, and you are uneasy with banging the drum but would rather hear its many sounds, this is the place for you.
We really like critique. Not the mean-spirited or spiteful kind, but rather commentary that raises tough questions, unpacks assumptions, sometimes calls people on the carpet, and always provides opportunity for discussion. That is what we are really after—facilitating, augmenting, furthering, and bolstering debate around issues of consequence.
You’ll find here articles, essays, and criticism that will challenge you to think. Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to tell a friend. Or even someone with whom you disagree!