The Sharing Economy Was Dead on Arrival
Sharing economy firms like Lyft and Airbnb promised community, but the ideas they promoted as overturning the status quo are the status quo.
Lingua Obscura
Jane Austen’s Subtly Subversive Linguistics
Why are Jane Austen books still so beloved? A linguist argues it has more to do with Austen's masterful use of language than with plot.
Suggested Readings
Social Drama, China Relations, and a Tree of Blood
Well-researched stories from Slate, Aeon, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Cabinet of Curiosities
The Landlord Asks for a Christmas Rose
Bizarre customs of landholding—from demands for flowers to ritualized flatulence—reflect the philosophy that developed under the feudal system.
Most Recent
Jarena Lee, The First Woman African American Autobiographer
Jarena Lee was the first female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1836, she published her autobiography.
Meeting Earth’s First Animals at the Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale is a huge deposit of unique fossils that reveals records of the middle Cambrian, a vital period in evolutionary history.
The Link Between Startups and Privilege
Self-made? The most successful independent ventures are often backed by legacy money or networks.
When a Cultivated Tree Goes Rogue
The Callery pear was meant to help prevent fire blight from destroying the commercial pear industry. Then it became invasive.
