American Agora

The Agora was the public square of Athens; the birthplace of democracy and public discourse [so says the history books]. With this blog, both Andy and I are trying to capture the essence of the Athenian Agora on the Web. (Before going any further, it should be noted that American Agora is by no means a nationalistic title; we welcome persons from anywhere on the globe. We would have preferred simply 'The Agora,' but it was taken. Although, given that we are both Americans by birth, it was an acceptable alternative. I'm also a sucker for alliteration.)

This blog is intended to be a meeting ground for discussion of nearly anything. We intend to post discussion topics that are relevant to what is going on in the world. Comments are expected to keep the conversation flowing. We will direct and moderate the conversation by selecting and highlighting erudite comments via new posts. At the very least, it will serve as a place for Andy and I to exchange interesting ideas.

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I [Andrew Thornburg] am currently an Electrical Engineering major at the University of Pittsburgh. Despite being 'formally' educated outside the realm of politics, my real passion is the discussion of politics/policy/worldly affairs with anyone who will give me their ear. I recently received a national engineering scholarship [SMART Scholarship] that will require me to work for two years after graduation with the Department of Defense in exchange for tuition payments and a kick-ass stipend. Still doesn't sound very politically orientated, eh? Well, I'm getting there. Given that I should be able to graduate debt-free, I will be able to pursue my real endeavors without the burden of financial obligations.

In order to stay up-to-date, I regularly read The Economist and The New York Times; I watch Meet the Press and Fareed Zakaria's GPS. Politically, I lean center-right [given the current American political scale]. I am particularly enthusiastic about technological issues, foreign relations and economics.

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This is Andy Noel speaking, and I represent the other half (technically speaking) of American Agora. I'm currently enrolled at the George Washington University in the District of Columbia -- a.k.a. the Imperial City -- and am pursuing both a B.A. and M.A. in American Studies. Why American Studies you ask? Because I don't want to make any money, and I love being in debt. So obviously at this point you're thinking, Thornburg and Noel must be an ideological yin-and-yang. Perhaps.

Perhaps not. We both share a certain vision of the (actual) American agora -- that it is dead. We're not here to resurrect it, I don't think, but if religion teaches us anything it's that people can literally use words to put life into things that have been dead for hundreds of years. (I am a Catholic, Thornburg an agnostic, but I think the previous statement can be skewed either way, don't you?)

We were compelled to start this blog while keeping up with Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish during the madness of this year's election coverage. I mean, we really don't do any school work, so why not fill those empty temporal spaces with some (occasionally) insightful chatter on the latest and greatest events in American politics and culture?

Anyway, I feel like I've already written too much tonight, so let me close with a quotation from my boy, Slavoj Zizek (who you will probably hear too frequently):

I believe in clear-cut positions. I think that the most arrogant position is this apparent, multidisciplinary modesty of "what I am saying now is not unconditional, it is just a hypothesis," and so on. It really is a most arrogant position. I think that the only way to be honest and expose yourself to criticism is to state clearly and dogmatically where you are. You must take the risk and have a position.