The Class Series: Mapping the Hidden Architecture of Order

An inquiry into hierarchy, culture, and the fate of civilization.

Essay 1: The Architecture of Class: An Introduction

Americans talk endlessly about money but rarely about class. We speak of “middle-class families” or “working-class wages,” but treat class as if it were only a matter of income brackets and tax policy. Yet class runs deeper than dollars. It shapes our manners, our tastes, our loyalties, even our sense o…