The Ideas Letter

Enzo Traverso is one of the most esteemed intellectual historians of our time, and Eric Hobsbawm is arguably the greatest historian of the twentieth century. What an honor to feature an essay by Traverso that takes the measure of a forthcomingintellectual biography of Hobsbawm. Hobsbawm wrote from a Marxist perspective yet always rejected reductive determinism, emphasizing complex interactions among class, culture, and contingency. Traverso’s essay is in part a lament for Hobsbawm’s brand of historical writing.

Then Leo Robson, in a comprehensive interview with me, deftly and imaginatively explains the contemporary role of the critic. Few cultural critics are as wise and expansive as Robson, and we discussed what exactly the craft of criticism is about, how it has changed, and why it continues to matter. His explanations are lucid and deeply informed.

Next up, Phil Tinline argues that optimization—using mathematical models and data to pursue specific objectives—has spread from engineering and wartime logistics to nearly every area of modern life. Optimization models show up in the workplace, on tech platforms, in economics, and in social policy. You don’t need to be a critic of instrumental rationality to recognize that optimization is a powerful but problematic tool when elevated into a creed that claims to improve society by through quantification.

To close our section of commissioned pieces, Nathalie Tocci, a great expert in affairs European, thoughtfully explains how Europe built a postwar identity by repudiating its violent past and anchoring itself in rights and law. That identity provided moral purpose and diplomatic influence—even if imperfect in practice. Alas, the world—and Europe—has changed markedly, and Tocci seeks to explain Europe’s future in light of that evolution.

Our curated section kicks off with a Spanish-language interview by my dear colleague,