Hi, I'm Jason Canon. I'm a PhD candidate in political theory at the University of Cambridge. The Novice is my notebook for thinking in public (¶26.1).
Entries are posted occasionally and revised frequently. Most are interconnected. They're also numbered sequentially by year to track how my thinking evolves.
Where to Start
¶26.1 explains why the site exists.
In political theory, ¶26.4 on critical liberalism and ¶26.3 on "Integrative Liberal Democracy" sketch my broad views. ¶22.1 offers a fun little thought experiment on freedom.
In contemplative studies, ¶22.1 recounts where I started; ¶22.3 explores what doesn't work. I'm still figuring out what does.
Click here for the site's archive.
How to Follow
New notes are published as time permits. You can follow by email, subscribe via RSS, or receive updates on your preferred open platform.
Backstory
0-9: Born Jason Michael Swadley, 1985 vintage. Told parents I wanted to be a fire hydrant when I grew up. Did kid stuff in Fair Grove, Missouri (population 919) near Springfield. Played Amahl in the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.
10s: First kiss. Built a computer. Went to the White House to shake the president’s hand. Graduated in a class of 50. Started at Drury University. Drove a moped off an embankment in Greece, splitting my heel in half.
20s: Launched the website where the Hackintosh was born. Studied abroad in London. Sold website to some Brits. Earned master’s from the University of Chicago. Started Ph.D. at Brown. Founded The Art of Theory, a political philosophy quarterly. Visited my 50th state. Lost myself for a bit (¶22.1). Returned home.
30s: Took care of my grandmother. (Or did she take care of me?) Took on my maternal family name. Started to write for what felt like the first time. Relocated to Virginia. Published my first journal article, Three General Wills in Rousseau. Moved to England to start a PhD at Cambridge.
40s: Began writing The Novice (¶26.1).
C.V.
Education
University of Cambridge (Jesus College)
2023–Present
Ph.D. Candidate, Politics and International Studies (POLIS)
Brown University
2009–2011
M.A., Political Science
University of Chicago
2007–2008
M.A., Social Sciences
Drury University
2003–2007
B.A., Political Science
B.A., Communications
Summa cum laude
Pi Sigma Alpha
Publications
2022 — “Three General Wills in Rousseau”
The Review of Politics
Recovers the evolution of Rousseau’s general will and its relationship to democratic deliberation
Public Scholarship
2010–2013 — Founding Editor, The Art of Theory
Created an open-source online quarterly of political thought, with interviews and contributions from Michael Walzer, Danielle Allen, Quentin Skinner, Ryan Hanley, Patrick Riley and more. Edited with Teresa Bejan, Gordon Arlen, and Jonathan Bruno.
Monogram
I love blink-and-you'll-miss-it design. I chose the pilcrow for the site's monogram to mark the start of something new. You'll also find my initials inside. This is how I spend my free time.
Say Hello
Facebook: @jasonscanon
Bluesky: @uncanonical.net
Email: jason@uncanonical.net