The Present

The ranking of empathy from highest to lowest goes liberals, conservatives, libertarians. But the difference is minor, says Paul Bloom. Typically the debate isn’t all over whether or not to empathize – it’s over who to empathize with.

Here’s something to think about the next time you see a filthy Abe Lincoln on the sidewalk.

A Cornell University professor believes he has our food, climate, and fuel revolution answered all with one organism: microalgae.   

Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the future of jobs and the government’s role in a rapidly changing society.

Only two things will change the minds of science skeptics: appeals to their ego, or their wallets.

It’s time we talked about working less. While some argue that we shorten the working week, others favor cutting out pointless, time-filler jobs altogether.     

When the rest of the world chooses nationalism, Iceland chooses radical change.

Before we had the right to vote, we had the right to protest, says journalist Wesley Lowery.

Democracy needs a new PR team. Polls about the way US millennials view democracy seem shocking, but analyzing their reasoning brings about an unsettling truth. 

Pedal faster, we need the juice! The tech giant is about to become the world’s greenest company. Here’s how. 

One in five employees are distracted at work by social media, a Pew Research Center poll finds.   

Spain and the US have very similar compulsory school hours and homework requirements. There’s a good argument for rallying against this trend.

In between time checks on the Doomsday Clock, Stephen Hawking is here to remind us we are living in dangerous times.

How should we view the amendment to Rule 41? Edward Snowden would have you believe it returns us to a time when a tyrant ruled over America.

Harvard University offers a free course on Buddhist scriptures.

Jon Stewart shares his thoughts on many issues during a recent talk with the New York Times.

It turns out there’s quite a bit of cognitive dissonance impairing our understanding of motivation and happiness. Duke University’s Professor Dan Ariely fills in the gaps.

Poor Americans, people in rural locations, and those with disabilities would benefit most.   

Slavoj Žižek examines the situation out of which refugees are created, and criticizes conservatives and liberals alike for their “conspiracy theories”.

“We love, as a culture, to attack messengers when the message is something that makes us feel uncomfortable,” says journalist Wesley Lowery.

Millions of Muslims marched to Karbala, Iraq even after suicide bombing and continued threats by ISIL. The Arbaeen pilgrimage continues to be a show of religious freedom.

As the US prepares for a change in power, Professor Sanford Levinson says dialogue that was formerly bound to people’s inner monologue has been “liberated” into the public space.

A new site offers a way to delete most of your Internet accounts in one go.

Why do people believe fake news? It’s not because it gets shared all over Facebook; it’s because they don’t trust mainstream news. And Snopes agrees with them. 

Elon Musk has a plan and part of that plan came together when it acquired SolarCity for $2.6 billion. 

Don’t believe everything Google tells you. Facebook and Google are taking measures against fake news, but it’s becoming clear that it’s a symptom of a bigger problem. 

Journalist Jelani Cobb considers the impact of Obama’s presidency on race in America. Did he make good on the promise of change that got him elected?

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden told an audience we should not be “putting too much faith or fear elected officials.” This includes Donald Trump.

Canada puts its money where its mouth is and prepares for a ‘no strings attached’ basic income trial that it hopes will break the cycle of poverty. 

Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek thinks the U.S. political machinery is truly broken. He guides a verbal tour through the failure of manufactured consent, the appeal of human baseness, and politics as a real struggle of life and death.