Purity or Universalism?
The main problem with the quest for purity is that it is fine in one’s own home or church but it becomes a problem in the public square, which—by virtue of being inherently diverse and competitive—is configured to resist the wish to be pure.
Western Civilisation "Not Welcome Here"
The new humanities maintain that for the last 500 years, Western Civilisation has got it wrong when it comes to knowledge, truth and science.
The Soviets and the JFK Conspiracy Theorists
We can learn far more from the files still under wraps in Russia and Belarus.
Effective vs. Pathological Altruism
What if feeding the hungry creates more hungry people to feed?
Banned Books Week: 10 Pop Fictions to Annoy the Politically Correct
These are the books you should read with great ostentation at sidewalk bistros, corner restaurants, and in doctors’ waiting rooms.
#MeToo Casualty Ian Buruma Was the Editor We Needed
I’m not the only reader left longing for an editor who displays a lordly disregard for public opinion
Forget Nature Versus Nurture. Nature Has Won
Plomin tries to present this cascade of new information about the genetic influence on human behavior in a way that will positively affect human behavior – but his own work suggests the impact of such arguments will be limited.
How An Anonymous Accusation Derailed My Life
#MeToo was an expression of solidarity but there is no solidarity for the accused.
Amidst the YouTube Junkies of MythCon, I Witnessed a New Kind of Radical Centrism
This was a room full of people passionately engaged in the world of ideas. Yet in their panelist remarks and Q&A comments, few of the speakers and audience members invoked the name of any actual party, politician or even broad political movement.
Suffragists Fought for the Female Sex
The response to my posters shows that the phrase ‘female sex’ is on its way to being classified as ‘hate speech.’
The Fragility of the Liberal World Order
For Kagan, the architects of the post-war order sought to wed America’s new-found superpower to the construction of a world order that reflected the domestic values of America itself: a liberal international order.
Anthony Bourdain vs. the Tyranny of Wellness
The cult of wellness commands: Thou shalt not contaminate the sacred body.
Narrow Roads of Bozo Land: How We Came to Be Governed by Online Mobs
Visionaries may be moody, obsessive loners but without them to provide a good idea in the first place, implementers end up working diligently to implement a faulty vision, like clockwork toys set off in the wrong direction.