Justin Carmien

Justin Carmien grew up in Northern Indiana, where his family has local roots. His great-grandfather, John Raber, ran for Congress in Indiana’s Second District in 1964, losing to then-House Minority Leader Charles Halleck. Following the campaign, Raber established Raber Golf, an 18-hole course located just outside Bristol, Indiana, which continues to be family-operated to this day.

As an adult, Justin began his career as an entrepreneur by founding a publishing company in the United States. He later relocated to Denmark to pursue opportunities in product design and marketing. While in Denmark, he partnered with Spinderihallerne—a municipal cultural and innovation hub located in the town of Vejle—where he hosted salons on philosophy in collaboration with international community developers.

In 2017, Justin launched a YouTube channel dedicated to exploring Scandinavian political philosophy, with a particular emphasis on the emerging metamodern movement. His videos garnered recognition for their thought-provoking insights and original reflections on contemporary thinkers, including the Russian political strategist Aleksandr Dugin.

Justin’s current studies further develop ideas from within the metamodern paradigm through what he refers to as "first economics philosophy.” Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s interpretations of Ancient Greek philosophy, this approach explores metaphysics as a foundation for value creation—one which encompasses both the phenomenon of the artist as well as the politician. He positions this philosophy as a “thinking space”, offering metaphysics as a response to the challenges of public life, particularly in the pursuit of truth and authenticity through policy and governance.

Justin currently serves as the president of his neighborhood association in Edgewater, Chicago, and works as a contract designer for the Government Finance Officers Association, a local government think tank based in Chicago.