The need for this to all have a point or an angle is a trap 💖 I get Matt’s thinking about his considerable reach and the responsibility to his audience but, in his case and yours, I would offer that even if all these essays serve to do is be a whetstone for the sharpness of your own mind, you will have accomplished your ends, my good man. It’s a place to work it out in real time with the community you’re building. The hard work continues apace 🍸
Now that I'm old and retired, I'm trying to get away from the old two-step habit of (1) form a conclusion; (2) defend that conclusion with arguments and evidence. I did a great deal of that when I was younger, but today it seems absurd and pointless. I was puzzled many years ago when I read Russell Kirk denouncing "ideology," but now I know what he meant.
These types of pieces either help me articulate a previously, inchoate feeling or make me think about issues in new ways.
And there have been plenty of great pieces this year. The one that immediately springs to mind is your response to Damon Linker about Pete Hegseth (https://gideons.substack.com/p/manliness-is-next-to-godliness), which for me was like a light bulb turning on in terms of understanding MAGA; and I know I also forwarded to my own rabbis a couple of your posts inspired by your own Divrei Torah.
Anyway, while I'm sure it's no fun when the novel writing is not proceeding as well as you would like, if it ends up leading to you write more on this Substack as a way to procrastinate productively, I confess that I'm actually rooting for more frustration. I'm a big Slow Boring fan as well, and Yglesias' ability to reliably produce five great pieces a week that appear every weekday morning at 3 am PST is a marvel. But I get even more joy when I see something from "Noah Millman from G..." in my inbox. Hope that happens even more frequently in 2026.
Best wishes for a wonderful last week of 2025 and don't doubt for a moment that your writing is finding an appreciative audience.
Well, maybe I’m one of those readers that doesn’t understand, but “I’m more interested in seeking understanding and engaging in conversation for their own sake than for the sake of persuasion, for the sake of doing something?” seems like a fairly narrow view of what “doing something” means. The understanding and the conversation which often furthers understanding are elements of processes that, at least for me, inevitably lead to my doing something new and different in my life either directly or indirectly by transforming how I see/interpret the world. IMO that’s definitely doing something. And by extension as I change, those around me who I might influence/impact might also change. Is this the butterfly effect? 🤷🏻♀️ but I do believe in the connectedness of community. We all contribute in our unique fashion. I admire your openness. Thanks for sharing.
I'll chime in to say that it is beneficial to my mental health to read something that allows me to "think along" with a mind that is open, flexible, rigorous and humble like yours. It is a kind of mental exercise that is the opposite of reading social media content that is based on arousing emotion (mostly anger) in order to promote engagement. It is so much more interesting and better for me to read a thoughtful piece I disagree with or that has no definitive conclusion than a dozen posts that pander to my sense of my own righteousness.
The need for this to all have a point or an angle is a trap 💖 I get Matt’s thinking about his considerable reach and the responsibility to his audience but, in his case and yours, I would offer that even if all these essays serve to do is be a whetstone for the sharpness of your own mind, you will have accomplished your ends, my good man. It’s a place to work it out in real time with the community you’re building. The hard work continues apace 🍸
Now that I'm old and retired, I'm trying to get away from the old two-step habit of (1) form a conclusion; (2) defend that conclusion with arguments and evidence. I did a great deal of that when I was younger, but today it seems absurd and pointless. I was puzzled many years ago when I read Russell Kirk denouncing "ideology," but now I know what he meant.
You're making important contributions to the noosphere (and, of course Noahsphere). That's honorable work.
For me at least, Noah, you're certainly succeeding. I'm not exactly sure how I got there, but I originally discovered your Substack because someone linked to your wonderful piece on crime and retribution (https://gideons.substack.com/p/is-retribution-illegitimate/comments). That, and your thoughts about cosmopolitanism (https://gideons.substack.com/p/cosmopolitanism-is-also-particularism) that followed just a couple of weeks later, remain two of the best pieces I have ever read on Substack (and I read decidedly too much here).
These types of pieces either help me articulate a previously, inchoate feeling or make me think about issues in new ways.
And there have been plenty of great pieces this year. The one that immediately springs to mind is your response to Damon Linker about Pete Hegseth (https://gideons.substack.com/p/manliness-is-next-to-godliness), which for me was like a light bulb turning on in terms of understanding MAGA; and I know I also forwarded to my own rabbis a couple of your posts inspired by your own Divrei Torah.
Anyway, while I'm sure it's no fun when the novel writing is not proceeding as well as you would like, if it ends up leading to you write more on this Substack as a way to procrastinate productively, I confess that I'm actually rooting for more frustration. I'm a big Slow Boring fan as well, and Yglesias' ability to reliably produce five great pieces a week that appear every weekday morning at 3 am PST is a marvel. But I get even more joy when I see something from "Noah Millman from G..." in my inbox. Hope that happens even more frequently in 2026.
Best wishes for a wonderful last week of 2025 and don't doubt for a moment that your writing is finding an appreciative audience.
Well, maybe I’m one of those readers that doesn’t understand, but “I’m more interested in seeking understanding and engaging in conversation for their own sake than for the sake of persuasion, for the sake of doing something?” seems like a fairly narrow view of what “doing something” means. The understanding and the conversation which often furthers understanding are elements of processes that, at least for me, inevitably lead to my doing something new and different in my life either directly or indirectly by transforming how I see/interpret the world. IMO that’s definitely doing something. And by extension as I change, those around me who I might influence/impact might also change. Is this the butterfly effect? 🤷🏻♀️ but I do believe in the connectedness of community. We all contribute in our unique fashion. I admire your openness. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to everyone who commented on this thread. I hope we'll have a lot more to discuss in 2026. Hopefully even some good things!
I'll chime in to say that it is beneficial to my mental health to read something that allows me to "think along" with a mind that is open, flexible, rigorous and humble like yours. It is a kind of mental exercise that is the opposite of reading social media content that is based on arousing emotion (mostly anger) in order to promote engagement. It is so much more interesting and better for me to read a thoughtful piece I disagree with or that has no definitive conclusion than a dozen posts that pander to my sense of my own righteousness.