[12] Manzi has written articles for a variety of political publications including the New York Post, The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, and Slate.
Manzi cites Sir Francis Bacon's New Method as a significant inspiration for and influence on his book Uncontrolled: the Surprising Power of Trial and Error for Business, Politics, and Society, saying of it, "there are an incredible array of insights in that book but one of the most fundamental is his argument that we have a tendency to jump to conclusions, that we see patterns in nature and believe we’ve found what we would call today causal rules, but we’re kidding ourselves.
"[13] Bacon's idea underpins Manzi's thesis that trial and error plays a significant role in helping companies and societies adapt and progress.
[7] David Brooks identified him as one of the "reformers" within the Republican Party,[14] and later noted Manzi's National Affairs article Keeping America's Edge as one of the best magazine essays of 2009.
[15] Manzi has written about climate change, prominently in a controversial National Review cover article in which he argued that conservatives should stop denying global warming is happening,[16] which Rush Limbaugh attacked.