About Alex Wall

Alexander Wall Alex is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Political Animal Magazine. His academic background is in political theory, specifically the history of political philosophy. His favorite authors are: Plato, whose theory of justice he examined in his doctoral thesis, Machiavelli and Nietzsche, who are delightful to read, even when you disagree with them, and Hobbes and Kant, who are not so delightful to read, but are both brilliantly clear thinkers on the problem of justice. Alex also takes a more immediate interest in politics. He is actively involved in various campaigns, advocacy organizations, and other such “things of the city”. He is a partisan of partisanship, and loves debating policy with people of all viewpoints. Finding a balance between his inner theorist and politician is not always easy, but Alex flatters himself that he is able to keep a foot in both worlds. He tries to live up to the Socratic maxim that the unexamined life is not worth living, and generally believes that it is harder and more important to clarify one’s own views rather than persuade others of them. But he also really likes winning arguments. He was educated at St. John’s College (BA), where he studied Liberal Arts, the great books, and the history of mathematics and science, and Harvard University (PhD), where he studied Political Science, with a focus on political theory and international relations. He lives in Toronto with his wife, who is a lawyer, which explains the amount of legal and Toronto-themed content on the site. He closely follows both US and Canadian politics as he is a citizen of both nations.