Standing Objection is for people who want to think a question through before choosing a side, and reserve the right to choose differently on the next one.

I’m interested in power, identity, and the moment a respectable principle acquires an exception for the people who invoke it. That takes us into politics, culture, institutional virtue, and the practical consequences of ideas that sound very good in a speech.

The political center is a perfectly respectable place to think. You can hold strong convictions, reach an inconvenient conclusion, and still want to hear a better argument. Readers a little to the left or right of it should feel at home here, too.

We’ll examine what people claim, what the evidence supports, who gets to make the decisions, and who lives with the results. I intend to apply the same scrutiny to arguments I find congenial. Otherwise, this would be a fairly elaborate way of asking for applause.

Expect researched essays with linked sources, quotations in context, and room for serious disagreement. Good objections can improve a piece. Corrections will be public.

A substantial essay every other week, with shorter observations between them. The opening essays will be free.

Ellis Harrow is a pen name. The arguments, sources, and corrections are public.