Politics and History

Giant inflatable rat in front of Wells Fargo

Maybe shame – painful as it is – has some value. Maybe it’s not just an emotion, but a social tool. Jennifer Jacquet thinks that there’s an upside to shame. More

adults playing with Lego

Mary Kay Zuravleff's Dangerous Idea? Universal Recess.More

The word "sex" on an iron pillar

Robin Rinaldi was mid-life, mid-career and mid-marriage when she placed that ad. It launched her wild oats project – a year spent exploring sex.More

An offender  of prostitution exposed to public shame

Think there's a renaissance of public shaming online? You're right. There's something about the anonymity of social media has people who probably seem perfectly nice in person, posting vicious, scathing, humiliating comments online.More

Twins

Bioethicist Julian Savulescu says we have a moral obligation to use new technology to create the best possible children.

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College Students

Free speech advocate Greg Lukianoff believes universities are coddling students in the name of emotional well-being, with damaging effects to students' mental health.More

Friendship

Anthropologist Nina Jablonski believes we could reduce implicit bias in the future by teaching children about the evolutionary origins of humans and why we look different.More

Psychiatrist Michael Bennett and his daughter, comedy writer Sarah Bennett, say it's time we stopped thinking about our feelings and instead focused on our actions.More

Historian Darrin McMahon traces ideas around happiness from classical antiquity to the modern age. He says the Founding Fathers equated...More

Barney Frank

Former Congressman Barney Frank believes that if you want to see political change, don't go to a demonstration. Instead, lobby your local representatives and vote.More

Black Lives Matter protestor

Activist Cat Brooks on protesting the police.More

Science March

Journalist Mark Engler explains why some protests flourish whereas others fail.More

"the queue" book cover

Writer Basma Abdel Aziz on the transformative effect of the Egyptian uprisingMore

Joe Scheidler

Joseph Scheidler on his decades-long career as an anti-abortion protester.More

Take it to the streets

Occupy Wall Street co-creator says activists are following an outdated script.More

Sherman Alexie

Some trips are more about psychic distance, like that of novelist Sherman Alexie. He's spent his whole life shuttling across cultural divides.More

American flag

Journalist Zach Beauchamps guides us through what he calls the "Russiasphere," the online world of liberal fake news.More

Twitterstorm of bots

Computer scientist Filippo Menczer has evidence of a bot campaign targeting one of Twitter's biggest power users: President Trump.More

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