Social Institutions

Social Institutions

A woman, resembling a paranormal investigator, holds a rectangular glass dish above her eyes, which are illuminated by light shining through the dish in a dark setting.
For his new book, “The Ghost Lab,” Matt Hongoltz-Hetling spent time with paranormal investigators to understand their relationship with science and society.
A grayscale photo of a man is on the left page of an open book, while the right page features an illustration of a white dove with red accents on a yellow background, symbolizing freedom.
Historian Timothy Snyder talks with Big Think about how true liberty requires both negative and positive freedoms.
A large group of people, some standing and some sitting, gather outdoors in front of a tent and a horse-drawn carriage, set against a grassy field with a few trees in the background.
The annual rite of passage has always been more about the ambivalence of adults than the amusement of children.
A group of people holding signs that say we demand voting rights now.
There is a cross-country correlation between democracy and health. Is there good evidence to suggest it is causal?
About 1 in 5 adults now say they have no religious affiliation, up from 1 in 50 in 1960.
6mins
Why marriage is thriving — and dying — in different American classes.
One of the fundamental questions for those studying and advocating progress is around understanding what variables can move the needle for the type of progress that you might want to see in the world. It's a key focus of the "progress studies" discipline and a question that has received increased attention from academics and public intellectuals in recent years.
belief
Belief is not just about God or ghosts.
A figure with wings kneels and gestures toward a standing, robed figure against a red background, evoking the question: what is hell like? Both appear in a detailed, engraved style.
4mins
What’s hell really like?
John Templeton Foundation
post secondary school
3mins
Former Harvard professor and best-selling author Todd Rose explains the problem with prestigious colleges and how the future of higher ed could be bright.
Stand Together
trust
4mins
A majority of Americans think they are trustworthy, yet believe most other people can’t be trusted.
Stand Together
population bomb
Society incorrectly blamed a "population bomb” for problems that had other causes. A wrong diagnosis produces ineffective solutions.