Prohibition repeal reminds us that ‘turning back the clock’ is good

Published December 6, 2022 12:00am ET

Somehow, of all people, Hegel won.

The German philosopher promulgated a notion that history, broadly, is a story of progress. Modern Americans may not read or understand Hegel, but we have internalized the notion that deliberate cultural shifts are for the good. You can see this prejudice in our language. “Forward” means “toward the good.” “Turn back the clock” means “make things worse.”