The Present

China’s expanding middle class is changing the world. The results are a global recycling dilemma.

How did Lego survive a near-total financial ruin? Why is Lyft way more popular that Uber amongst drivers? And how did Marvel gain a second wind some 60 years after it was founded?

There are a lot of tough conversations that stand between where America is now and “liberty and justice for all,” says Van Jones.

Stereotyping isn’t about “bad people doing bad things.” It’s about our subconscious biases, and how they sneak into organizational structures.

The Brazilian government has been trying to answer this very question in its ever-growing prison population, which has doubled since the year 2000. 

What’s really involved in snuffing out a country’s nuclear capabilities—and is that the right war to be waging?

Do we really need to spend such a mind-bogglingly huge amount of money on surveilling the world (and the American taxpayers) to find a terrorist-needle in a global-haystack?

So, how do you make something popular? Simple! You just update something old. This applies to storytelling, design, and even tech gadgets.

The researcher behind some well-known gender studies is accused of making them all up.

A string of terror attacks across the globe have shaken the world’s most powerful nations to their core. As a result of these tragic events, and the fear-mongering from politicians […]

While we often criticize the humanities for not providing an education that leads directly to employment, one philosopher argues they have an even more important role to play in our societies.

Unraveling the psychology behind gun ownership may offer fresh insight into the gun control debate.

Why do some smart folk spout such bad ideas? Marilynne Robinson says it’s because we teach them “higher twaddle.” She’s right, but the situation is worse than she fears.

Soon, the line that divides the living from the dead might not be so clear.

A growing body of research suggests that students of color perform better in school when they have at least one teacher of the same race.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Robert Bellah’s essay “Civil Religion in America.”

The most influential contemporary scientists and their accomplishments.

‘Buy land – they aren’t making it any more,’ said Mark Twain.  

The idea is to flood the markets and drive prices down. Contrary to what you may think, a rhino horn is not made of bone but of keratin – the material found in nails and hair.

A reappraisal of the Chinese Dali skull suggest a more prominent role for China in early human history.

An Ivy League education without the Ivy League price tag. 

There’s a deep psychological reason that America treats nuclear weapons like a spoiled child hogging all the neighborhood candy. Are we too paranoid to see it?

A new Credit Suisse report shows 27% growth since 2008 in the world’s wealth, with a disproportionately large share going to the already wealthy.

Outraged by something on the internet? Yawn. You may be simply falling for a very old trick… and becoming a run-of-the-mill bully in the process.

The world today is far more complex than it was 200 years ago, but the speeches and writings of the Founding Fathers point to a common general principle.

Why doesn’t America win wars anymore? Because the objectives are so poorly defined. Maybe it’s time to rethink foreign policy.

Sponsored by the Charles Koch Foundation

Recent research shows that suicidal behavior is a social contagion that spreads through families and classrooms. The good news? So does suicide prevention.

Coercion requires justification. How can we justify the invisible walls of our visa policies?  

AI is leaving human needs and democracy behind in its race to accomplish its current profit-generating goals.