Jonathan Orwell
@jonathanorwell.bsky.social
Writes on reading, civic order, and the responsible management of ideas. Interested in how ideas become policy.
https://jonathanorwell.substack.com
https://jonathanorwell.substack.com
Pinned
Standards do not resolve disagreement.
They redistribute responsibility.
They redistribute responsibility.
January 2, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Standards do not resolve disagreement.
They redistribute responsibility.
They redistribute responsibility.
January 2, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Standards do not resolve disagreement.
They redistribute responsibility.
They redistribute responsibility.
Alignment does not require agreement.
It requires coordination.
Note on Alignment and Appropriateness
substack.com/@jonathanorw...
It requires coordination.
Note on Alignment and Appropriateness
substack.com/@jonathanorw...
January 1, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Alignment does not require agreement.
It requires coordination.
Note on Alignment and Appropriateness
substack.com/@jonathanorw...
It requires coordination.
Note on Alignment and Appropriateness
substack.com/@jonathanorw...
Review is often described as caution.
In practice, it is resolution over time.
In practice, it is resolution over time.
January 1, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Review is often described as caution.
In practice, it is resolution over time.
In practice, it is resolution over time.
Standards do not eliminate disagreement.
They determine how much of it a system is willing to carry.
open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...
They determine how much of it a system is willing to carry.
open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...
December 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Standards do not eliminate disagreement.
They determine how much of it a system is willing to carry.
open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...
They determine how much of it a system is willing to carry.
open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...
Implementation is where policy becomes invisible
December 29, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Implementation is where policy becomes invisible
Calm is often mistaken for consensus.
It is more accurately the absence of friction.
It is more accurately the absence of friction.
December 29, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Calm is often mistaken for consensus.
It is more accurately the absence of friction.
It is more accurately the absence of friction.
Institutions rarely argue against books.
They revise procedures until the books no longer appear.
They revise procedures until the books no longer appear.
December 26, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Institutions rarely argue against books.
They revise procedures until the books no longer appear.
They revise procedures until the books no longer appear.
Reading has never been unmanaged. What has changed is how management presents itself.
On Reading and Civic Calm
jonathanorwell.substack.com
On Reading and Civic Calm
jonathanorwell.substack.com
Jonathan Orwell | Substack
Writes on reading, civic order, and the responsible management of ideas. His work examines how narratives move through institutions and how ideas are translated into policy. These essays are offered i...
jonathanorwell.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reading has never been unmanaged. What has changed is how management presents itself.
On Reading and Civic Calm
jonathanorwell.substack.com
On Reading and Civic Calm
jonathanorwell.substack.com