In Commander of the Watch Sam Vimes, Terry Pratchett gives us a positive model for countering “the Summoning Dark” that has overtaken segments of America.
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Tag Archives: Terry Pratchett
ICE, the Summoning Dark, and Sam Vimes
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Fifth Elephant, ICE killings, police violence, Thud! Comments closed
Pratchett on Paperwork and Accountability
Pratchett’s “Fifth Elephant” has a running joke about paperwork, but its bigger theme is the urge to escape all accountability as one abuses power. ICE agents should read it.
Peter Thiel, Palantir, and Sauron
In May, 2025 former Palantir employees warned that the company was becoming a Sauron-esque force for evil—in essence, resembling the crystal stone after which it was named.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Palantir, Peter Thiel, power corrupts Comments closed
To Counter Moral Collapse, Read Pratchett
Good young adult fiction like Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series can instill anti-authoritarian values in young people.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged authoritarianism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Shepherd’s Crown, Tiffany Aching Comments closed
Pratchett on the Excitement of Invention
Pratchett’s “Raising Steam” highlights the vibrancy of invention and also the importance of a multicultural society in making new inventions work.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged inventors and inventions, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, multiculturalism, Raising Steam Comments closed
A Thieves Guild to Manage Crime
Pratchett uses his Thieves Guild to satirize those who think perfection in our society is achievable.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged crime in America, crime prevention, Guards! Guards! Comments closed
Conquering the Darkness Within
Pratchett’s novel “Thud!” is a plea to find inner strength rather than yielding to blind rage.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Buch-Cheney administration, Donald Trump, Islamic fundamentalism, Terrorism, Thud!, Tom Nichols Comments closed
Pratchett on How Guns Possess Us
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Trump, “Vermin” and Terry Pratchett
In “Snuff” one of Terry Pratchett’s angriest book, the author takes on racism, ethnocentrism, and intolerance.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Art, Donald Trump, Fascism, intolerance, racism, Snuff Comments closed