> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.merionwest.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # COLLECTION II - URL: https://www.merionwest.com/collection-ii/ - Published: 2025-10-03T15:25:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-05T21:12:06.000Z - Description: Published October 3, 2025 - Author: Henri Mattila - Tags: Collections ## Letter from the Editor & Publisher > Dear Readers and Old Friends, > When we began planning the new version of this magazine, many questions were left up in the air. Should we have fewer long-form essays and more punchy op-eds? What about publishing views we strongly disagree with? Despite leaving several of these questions unanswered, our past experience had made one thing crystal clear: We would only publish articles that we feel proud of, or even love. > While such a choice may seem obvious, the temptation to lower the bar is always creeping up on publishers of all sizes. In the relentless competition for ever-more clicks and shares, victory is measured in quantity at the expense of quality. As you may have noticed, the pathology has infected many once esteemed publications. > To ward off moments of weakness, we gave ourselves permission to publish just one new article per month. It is therefore a welcome surprise that the second issue came together as quickly as it did. In Collection II, you will encounter articles dealing with timeless subjects that shape the conversation today, as well as subjects that have been unfairly overlooked. In keeping with our tradition of engaging with established figures as well as up-and-comers, we are pleased to share our interviews with both America's leading legal theorist and a Christian pioneer on Wall Street. > Thank you for reading with us. > > With gratitude, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/2024/12/sigs.svg) EDITOR & PUBLISHER ## [The Perennial Allure of Political Violence](https://www.merionwest.com/the-perennial-allure-of-political-violence/) Writing from across the Atlantic, Gerfried Ambrosch condemns both the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the disturbing celebrations that followed, ending with a forceful defense of free expression. Interviews [☩ Alan Dershowitz: On His Magnum Opus, *The Preventive State* ](https://www.merionwest.com/alan-dershowitz-on-his-magnum-opus-the-preventive-state/) [☩ The Man Who Dared to Imagine If God Were an Investor ](https://www.merionwest.com/interview-the-man-who-dared-to-imagine-if-god-were-an-investor/) # Essays [Caste Remains the True Test of Inclusion in Corporate India Across boardrooms from Bangalore to Delhi and inside Western corporations staffed by an increasing number of Indian employees, caste continues to influence who advances and who does not. Ignoring this reality, writes Indian scholar Disha, makes all other efforts at fostering inclusivity ring hollow. ](https://www.merionwest.com/caste-remains-the-true-test-of-inclusion-in-corporate-india/) [Let’s Teach Young People Hope—Not DoomEducation expert Bruno Manno argues that when educators present social and ecological problems as intractable, this fosters hopelessness in students and urges that educators teach students that problems can be solved, not merely bemoaned.](https://www.merionwest.com/lets-teach-young-people-hope-not-doom/) [Why Today’s Atheism Requires a Leap of FaithMichel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies invite readers to consider whether atheism withstands logical scrutiny, suggesting that the materialist worldview itself demands a leap of faith.](https://www.merionwest.com/why-todays-atheism-requires-a-leap-of-faith/) [ ▸ Learn more about *Merion West.*](https://www.merionwest.com/join/) Power & Policy [We Ought Not Tolerate Reckless DrivingOur editor-in-chief argues that reckless driving must be treated as the urgent social ill that it is. Driving is dangerous enough already, and those who wantonly flout traffic safety need to be consistently held accountable.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-45.png)Merion WestErich J. Prince![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-28.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/we-ought-not-tolerate-reckless-driving/) [The Machiavellian Keir StarmerBritish writer Seamus Flaherty, channeling Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund’s new book, dissects the Machiavellian approach British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has brought to his political career and now premiership.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-36.png)Merion WestSeamus Flaherty![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-19.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/the-machiavellian-keir-starmer/) [Who Pays for “Free” Speech?Law professor Eric Heinze reminds us that for all the rhetoric about free speech, demonstrations and protests often impose on the public costs of millions of dollars.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-40.png)Merion WestEric Heinze![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-23.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/who-pays-for-free-speech/) [From Austerity to Arms: Europe’s Recurring Escape from Deflationary ParalysisEurope’s turn from austerity to rearmament recalls an older pattern: economic stagnation broken by military spending. This essay traces the parallels—and the risks—for the European Union’s future.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-38.png)Merion WestIoannis Mademlis![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-21.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/from-austerity-to-arms-europes-recurring-escape-from-deflationary-paralysis/) Poetry - [Dream Person](https://www.merionwest.com/dream-person/) - [Heat of a Bayou](https://www.merionwest.com/heat-of-a-bayou/) - [Emergency Room](https://www.merionwest.com/emergency-room/) [Explore other poems in the Poetry section](https://www.merionwest.com/tag/poetry/) ###### More from Collection II [Why We Should Reacquaint Ourselves with William BlakeMark Vernon, the author of a recent book on William Blake, urges us to rediscover the wisdom contained in the writings and artwork of the great British polymath.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-46.png)Merion WestMark Vernon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-29.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/why-we-shoulreacquaint-ourselves-with-william-blake/) [The State Sovereignty Question Again Rears Its HeadTom McDonough argues that Governor JB Pritzker’s recent appeal to “state sovereignty” misreads the Constitution. Revisiting the works of Orestes Brownson, McDonough warns that treating the Constitution as a tool of convenience risks reviving old errors about sovereignty and federal authority.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-43.png)Merion WestTom McDonough![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-26.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/the-state-sovereignty-question-again-rears-its-head/) [Revisiting “The Classical Liberal Case for Israel”Walter E. Block and Alan G. Futerman’s book, which was published in 2021, has taken on ever greater import since the October 7th attacks. In this essay, historian Paul Gottfried questions some of the book’s assumptions and its use of history.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-44.png)Merion WestPaul Gottfried![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-27.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/revisiting-the-classical-liberal-case-for-israel/) [ ◂ Read the previous Collection](https://www.merionwest.com/collection-i/)