How Media Stifles Deliberative Democracy
As outlets that welcome rational exchanges of ideas dwindle those that serve as echo chambers are exploding. What does that mean for free speech and the health of the US?
Is Racism a Disease?
Since the 1940s, mental health professionals have repeatedly debated the question of whether (some forms of) racism can be classified as a disease.
Abstinence By Juramentos
Long before Dry January became a thing, Mexicans were using a similar program of temporary abstinence based on a pledge to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Our Most Popular Stories of 2022
Personality tests, street dogs, underwater treasures, and a natural history of dragons.
The South Asian Human Rights Tradition
Human rights discourse drawing on ancient Sanskrit texts focuses more on the responsibilities of individuals and states than on the rights themselves.
Who Was Jesus’s Grandma?
Canonical scripture never mentions the parents of the Virgin Mary, but the body of St. Anne was vital to Christianity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The Plight of the Hunter
Seeking buried treasure has long been an American pastime, but its the failure to find the gold that keeps the hunt—and the story—alive.
A Cigarette-Eye View of US History
The big story for cigarettes in the twentieth century was their journey from popularity to pariah.
Respecting the Potato
Cuzco’s Potato Park conserves biodiversity and strengthens food sovereignty, all while emphasizing respect for this important and charismatic crop.