Values and ethical living

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To have deeper conversations, try being more of an asshole

Conversation is a game with rules about politeness and norms. To move beyond small talk, you need to risk breaking them

by Idil Çakmur

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Disappointment is not just a feeling – it’s a political force

When political regimes fail us, don’t turn to optimism. It’s disappointment that holds the radical potential for change

by Rafael Holmberg

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Cultural taboos arise from a basic feature of the human mind

Unquestioned community rules on marriage, dining and even black cats often stem from our hunger to explain random events

by Kevin (Ze) Hong

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Social comparison is driving us to despair. It doesn’t have to

In the social media age, it seems impossible not to measure ourselves against others – but we can dodge the worst pitfalls

by Wojciech Kaftański

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What makes a map ‘good’? On the ethics of cartography

Rendering the world in a responsible way means wrestling with what gets depicted on a map, how, and for whom

by Nat Case

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What a real-life ‘trolley problem’ reveals about morality

We used an electric-shock dilemma to test the strength of people’s moral principles when faced with real-world complexities

by Dries Bostyn