Earth Summit Part II: Of Ethics and Markets
The Earth Summit and its participants consider the ethical and economic implications of their sustainability initiatives.
On the Newsstand:civil
The Evolution of the Family Sitcom
From "dumb Dora" to an even less intelligent father figure, the evolution of the family sitcom illuminates gender relations.
Sloppy Thinking—A Call for Truthful Discourse
As a philosophy concentrator, I have come to learn that philosophical discourse is characterized by clarity, precision and the search for truth. Many who are not interested in philosophy may find it quite pedantic to adopt such substantial focus on clarity and precision. After all, most people get the point anyway, right? It may be the case that some of ... Read More
David Brooks Gets Young Idealists Wrong
Aspiring world-changers shouldn't shy away from politics, but there is pragmatism to NGOs' apolitical stances.
The Sanctions Fallacy: Iran and Japan
The disadvantages of imposing sanctions too often go unexamined.
Rigoberta Menchú and the Oral History of a Repressed People
Journalists and international officials have markedly ignored the modern history of Guatemala. The nation’s past includes a long list of wrongs against the indigenous peoples of the country, including exploitation by wealthy, mixed-race landowners and government complicity in discriminatory practices. However, until the 1983 publishing of Quiché leader Rigoberta Menchú’s controversial autobiography, the attention of the world was rarely drawn to the bloodshed and activism happening in Central America.
The Decline and Death of Violence
Are we living in the most peaceable era of our species’ existence? "Better Angels of Our Nature" by Steven Pinker
Progressives Shouldn’t Vote for Ron Paul
Disappointed progressives should rethink their new passion for Paul
Rebutting Relativism in Beit Shemesh
Marina is right to note that the West is far from blameless in its routine objectification of women as sex objects. But let’s not rush to draw equivalencies with religious fundamentalists.
2011: Five Things I Learned This Year
I’ll speak as a humble world editor and share five things that I learned about the world in 2011, ranging from common fallacies about the Arab Spring to the shape of the human evolutionary family tree.
The True Governments of Somalia
Somaliland may be the most stable and smoothest functioning democracy that officially does not exist.
Ahmed Maher Addresses Occupy Harvard
Egyptian activist and founder of the April 6 movement offers advice to student protestors
