Civic life
![Close-up of a tattooed hand with the numbers “1488” across the fingers and other tattoos on the back of the hand and wrist, wearing blue jeans.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7bb40b1c-2b38-48d5-ad8b-21efeae4ab23/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Communication and language
idea
Beyond dogwhistles – racists have a new rhetorical trick
How are so many politicians today able to get away with overtly racist utterances? By using rhetorical ‘figleaves’
by Jennifer Saul
![An angry mob of people jeer at a woman carrying a young baby up a cobbled street. Her head is shaved](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/d60fb670-b48c-4d6e-900f-9c5823490f8e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Shame and guilt
idea
Personal and political shaming is running hot, yet it doesn’t work
When passions run high so does the urge to shame wrongdoers. But if the goal is to change, shamers should think twice
by David Keen
![Three people sit on a bench facing a forest fire on a hill at night, with a fire truck nearby. The flames illuminate the trees, creating a dramatic and intense scene.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/bb502a5d-300b-4e2e-9ba7-838d7f907cdf/sq-rts8n6jq.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Anxiety
guide
How to cope with climate anxiety
It’s normal to feel troubled by the climate crisis. These practices can help keep your response manageable and constructive
by Lucia Tecuta
![A person in winter gear collects litter, including cans and bottles, from a snowy mountain landscape with a panoramic view of distant peaks.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/f349dcdf-8935-4427-90f9-8cccd407f182/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
It’s not only political conservatives who worry about moral purity
You might think the political Right is more focussed on morals than the Left. But purity is a pervasive political value
by Kurt Gray, Will Blakey & Nicholas DiMaggio
![A mother cuddles her newborn baby on a bed. The baby is wrapped in a white knitted blanket.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/50393ecc-1b66-4a37-adcd-cdc35c9ea1a3/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Communication and language
idea
Facts don’t change minds: a case for the virtues of propaganda
A better understanding of propaganda and how to use it as an educational tool could advance the world in a positive way
by Anna Hennessey
![A couple sit in deckchairs beneath a parasol gazing out at the ocean](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6f7ba40a-0a09-4e83-a7c1-26fb054ed4d5/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
guide
How to escape climate apathy
Do you recognise there’s a climate emergency, yet find yourself looking away? Here’s how to get motivated and take action now
by Elizabeth Cripps
![A bustling plant market with numerous people shopping and mingling, surrounded by various stalls and potted plants.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/56501442-a99b-41fc-a26a-1092c3e1cf95/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
The surprising way to tackle prejudice in the real world
The good news is there are many effective anti-prejudice interventions, but the most promising remains relatively unknown
by Wing Hsieh
![Crowd of people celebrating with colourful confetti, including a person in a white tank top and another wearing an American flag hat and t-shirt.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c66f3712-792c-4402-aef2-4152bf3475d8/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Cooperation and collaboration
idea
Defining social trust is a first step toward nurturing it
Researchers agree that social trust causes many positive social outcomes. But they differ on its definition and causes
by Kevin Vallier
![Volunteers in blue vests handing out hot meals to people on a city street.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c38ed2ca-8617-4900-ba80-821a5900abd4/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
guide
How to be a hands-on citizen
You can be so much more than a well-informed consumer: it is in your (and our) power to change society from the ground up
by Jon Alexander