The Key to Understanding the Traditionalists
The author critiques David Brooks' analysis of traditionalism, arguing that psychological types are less important than the economic and technological pressures that force people to seek safety in traditional institutions. The piece suggests that modern uncertainty, driven by AI and economic scarcity, is the real catalyst for reactionary politics.
Why it matters
It challenges the psychological framing of political polarization, suggesting that material conditions are the primary driver of modern political shifts.
The Atlantic August 11, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save History Is Running Backwards In the May issue, David Brooks considered why reactionaries are taking over the world. Explore the September 2026 Issue Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
“History Is Running Backwards” is a provocative article. But I think David Brooks errs in framing traditionalism and modernity as an either/or, when in fact they exist in a both/and context. One can be both a traditionalist and a modernist simultaneously. The key, as Brooks notes, is that “a well-adjusted life consists of daring explorations from a secure base.” Would that we all were so blessed to have that!
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