> ## 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 III - URL: https://www.merionwest.com/collection-iii/ - Published: 2025-12-08T20:55:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T00:09:39.000Z - Description: Published December 8, 2025 - Author: Henri Mattila - Tags: Collections ## Letter from the Editor & Publisher > Dear Readers and Old Friends, > This letter marks our final collection of the year. In the two months since we last wrote, there have been some exciting developments at *Merion West*. We had the honor of co-sponsoring a dialogue at the University of Pennsylvania between Ross Douthat, a devout Catholic, and philosopher Damon Linker, a self-described secular Jew. Hosted by the Veritas Forum, the event was a great success and echoed the spirit of civil dialogue that we have always striven to embody in our pages. In terms of our team, Austin Allen James has officially joined as our new poetry editor, and we are most excited about his leadership of our arts section. We have also recorded a fascinating set of conversations for release in forthcoming collections. > Our selection of interviews and essays—our *raison d'être*—has remained strong. We begin this issue with the formerly agnostic intellectual Dr. Charles Murray, who, in his interview with Erich, discusses his evolving perspective on Christianity. Once an ascendant force, the New Atheist movement is perhaps breathing its last. It is our humble opinion that we are all the better for it. > You will find in this collection thoughtful writings on the pressing issues of the day, such as Gerfried Ambrosch's examination of contemporary anti-Semitism, alongside reflections of a more timeless sort—including Sadhika Pant's celebration of *Fathers and Sons*, an undeservedly overlooked classic of Russian literature, as well as philosophy professor Jimmy Alfonso Licon’s plea to distinguish between appearing virtuous and being such. > As always, we sincerely appreciate your belief in our project, and we hope you enjoy what you read. > With gratitude, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/2024/12/sigs.svg) EDITOR & PUBLISHER [ ![Charles Murray Interview Art](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/size/w2000/2025/12/Gemini_Generated_Image_sjnmrtsjnmrtsjnm-1.png) ](https://www.merionwest.com/charles-murray-is-taki/) ## [Why Charles Murray Is Taking Religion Seriously ](https://www.merionwest.com/charles-murray-is-taki/) Erich J. Prince speaks with one of America’s best-known political scientists. In this interview, Dr. Murray discusses his new book and the slow, unexpected path that took him from reluctantly attending Quaker meetings to defending the veracity of many religious claims. Other Interviews [☩ Why We Need Better College Rankings ](https://www.merionwest.com/why-we-need-better-college-rankings/) [☩ Can "Deliberative Polling" Solve Polarization? ](https://www.merionwest.com/can-deliberative-polling-so-polarization/) # Essays [Public Servant in Name Only: Rob Bresnahan Hardly Alone A young congressman elected on promises of integrity has quickly become one of Washington’s most prolific stock traders, writes editor-in-chief Erich J. Prince. Is it any wonder why so many Americans feel nothing ever really changes at the Capitol? ](https://www.merionwest.com/public-servant-in-name-only-rob-bresnahan-hardly-alone/) [The Oldest Hatred, the West’s Latest TestFollowing the October 2nd terrorist attack in Manchester, England, Gerfried Ambrosch examines the ideological convergence between the Western left and Islamist movements—and calls for renewed resolve in confronting anti-Semitism in all of its forms. ](https://www.merionwest.com/the-oldest-hatred-the-wests-latest-test/) [If Being Virtuous Feels Easy, It Could Be Junk Although no one likes to admit to doing it, virtue signaling is a practice that is a natural part of being a human. Yet, in this essay, philosopher Jimmy Alfonso Licon advises caution by comparing the practice to the culinary equivalent of junk food–it might be tempting but, ultimately, counterproductive. ](https://www.merionwest.com/if-being-virtuous-feels-easy-it-might-be-junk/) [ ▸ Learn more about *Merion West.*](https://www.merionwest.com/join/) Literary & Societal [Why We Should Return to Ivan Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons”In this essay, Sadhika Pant helps us to see why Turgenev’s fourth novel remains the most enduring portrait of Russia’s nineteenth-century ideological storm. More than a mere history, the novel continues to resonate as an antidote to the revolutionary spirits of today.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-48.png)Merion WestSadhika Pant![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-31.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/we-to-ivan-turgenevs-fathers-and-sons/) [The Conservatism of Russian-Speaking JewsSimon Maass, a German writer of Soviet Jewish descent, contends that Jews who left the Soviet Union often hold distinctly conservative views—and are steadily shaping politics in their new homes.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-49.png)Merion WestSimon Maass![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-32.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/the-conservatism-of-russian-speaking-jews/) [Agnosticism Is Not ReasonableRefusal to make a choice is a choice of its own. Although often presented as the intellectually humble third option between belief and atheism, Stuart Doyle argues that agnosticism presents a false middle path that is neither coherent nor practical.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-47.png)Merion WestStuart Doyle![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-30.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/agnosticism-is-not-reasonable/) [Is the Current Era of Free Speech Over?Considering the rest of the developed world, it is a miracle that the First Amendment continues to reign in the United States. Tracing the precarious history of free speech in the country, legal scholar Eric Heinze writes that shifting bipartisan attitudes are placing it under threat.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/icon/MW-logo-small--1--2-50.png)Merion WestEric Heinze![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/bf/2cbf55d5-edac-4019-bf5c-bf6b4bf7d745/content/images/thumbnail/card_socialmedia-33.png)](https://www.merionwest.com/is-the-current-era-of-free-speech-over/) Poetry - [Pray Silence (The Mind of the Meeting) ](https://www.merionwest.com/pray-silence-the-mind-of-the-meeting/) - [Three Elegies for the Everyday ](https://www.merionwest.com/three-elegies-for-the-everyday/) - [Orchard Season ](https://www.merionwest.com/orchard-season/) [Explore other poems in the Poetry section](https://www.merionwest.com/tag/poetry/) #### Smart Fish Don't Bite New from W.D. Ehrhart A long-time friend of *Merion West* and a frequently featured poet in our pages, Dr. Ehrhart returns with a compelling new release. Featuring seventy-seven new poems written since 2019, this volume runs the gamut from the serious to the playful. In both tone and substance, it stands as perhaps his most diverse collection to date. Upcoming Readings - **Feb 27:** Bucks County Community College - **Mar 4:** Wallingford Art Center [Purchase Exclusively at Moonstone Arts Center ](https://moonstone-arts-center.square.site/product/ehrhart-w-d-smart-fish-don-t-bite/YD2QGAXXBUFHBNEM4K6HS6AF?cs=true&cst=custom&utm%5Fmedium=email&%5Fhsenc=p2ANqtz-%5FW-lL6cwwW8bsQANmJwm3MsSw-S42Z2xGh0k2oeotYQjMZaBNz9DqAOukdKP95CuNaM19QsZuXdCh2rJglFzD6U6sG4g&%5Fhsmi=380810861&utm%5Fcontent=380810861&utm%5Fsource=hs%5Femail) [ ◂ Read the previous Collection](https://www.merionwest.com/collection-ii/)