Civic life
Communication and language
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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
Shame and guilt
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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
Civic life
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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
Communication and language
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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
Civic life
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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
Cooperation and collaboration
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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
Nature and the environment
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What does water want? Most humans seem to have forgotten
Asking what water wants sounds a bit mystical, even radical. But it’s a practical, proven path to creating a better world
by Erica Gies
Civic life
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Voting in person brings democracy to momentous life
Elections are about more than tallying votes – they offer voters a deeply felt connection to democracy and their role in it
by Emilee Booth Chapman
Civic life
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Can political persuasion be something more than manipulation?
Kant argued that persuasion was a product of manipulation and deception. But it can also be a force for good in civic life
by James Kastely
Civic life
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The origin story of a slogan, ‘the personal is political’
What the radical-feminist origins of the slogan ‘the personal is political’ can tell us about language in our own divided age
by Guy Stevenson
Thinkers and theories
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Leibniz had rules for standing out for all the right reasons
Why Leibniz’s rules for standing out and keeping it real will take you from a 17th-century court to the social media age
by Ryan Patrick Hanley
Values and beliefs
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Popper was right about the link between certainty and extremism
In terms of irrational confidence, many people at opposite ends of the political spectrum seem to have something in common
by Thomas Costello & Shauna Bowes