Hi.
Notes From The Circus is not a commentary from outside history. It is a participant’s voice — an ongoing attempt to understand, diagnose, and respond to the structural forces reshaping our republic.
This project started as a philosophy blog. Over time, it has become something broader: a space where moral seriousness meets institutional analysis, where the crisis of democratic constraint is named not as a feeling but as a mechanism, and where ordinary citizens are invited to see what’s happening with clarity and act accordingly.
I refuse the illusion of neutrality from on high. The collapse of shared reality, the capture of capital and political power, the erosion of constitutional constraint — these are not abstract phenomena. They are lived dangers. This writing sits in that reality, not apart from it.
I’m Mike Brock. Until recently, I built technology — software, teams, products. But at a certain point, the intellectual life pulled me into public reasoning. Speaking truth to power often came with a professional cost; recruiters stopped calling. That, too, was commentary.
This space brings together:
Philosophical inquiry
Structural analysis of power and institutions
Moral diagnosis of civic life
Concrete proposals for democratic constraint
Here, “meaning” is not given — it must be made through clarity, collective action, and an unflinching engagement with reality.
Notes From The Circus is for the intellectually homeless — people who feel something is deeply wrong with the narratives and structures around us and want an honest account, historically grounded, morally serious, and oriented toward how we actually restore democratic constraint, not just critique or lament it.
Because if the republic is to survive, it won’t be because someone else fixes it. It will be because citizens understand what is at stake and act accordingly.
Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
