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Civic life

Photo of a bearded man holding a US flag at an outdoor gathering, with blurred people and flags in the background.

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

Photo of a river with gravel banks winding through a red autumn landscape, mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.

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

A painting of a distressed woman at a bath with two men observing her from behind a wall, appearing to whisper.

Artists and art history

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What art history reveals about the rise of anti-feminist women

How can anyone favour a patriarchal system that routinely harms them? On Susanna and the Elders and anti-feminist women

by Paula Keller

Black and white photo of workers in a factory stirring large metal vats with wooden paddles.

Ethics

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On the moral obligation to stop shit-stirring

Utilitarians provoke to elicit reflection, but we need earnest advice, not shit-stirring, to face complex moral challenges

by Nicholas Agar

Vintage sepia photograph of a man in a suit looking to the right with a pensive expression and slightly damaged background.

Civic life

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Ralph Waldo Emerson would really hate your Twitter feed

For Ralph Waldo Emerson, political activism was full of empty gestures done in bad faith. Abolition called for true heroism

by Peter Wirzbicki

Painting of serene blue waves against a pale sky. Minimalist design with soft colours and smooth textures.

Emotion regulation

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To heal emotional inflammation, let distress inspire change

To tend to the wound of emotional inflammation, connect with your feelings, look to the sky, then give back to the world

by Stacey Colino & Lise Van Susteren

A mother cuddles her newborn baby on a bed. The baby is wrapped in a white knitted blanket.

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

A black-and-white photo of a dancer in a flowing, long-sleeved outfit, posed with eyes closed and hands extended.

Dance

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Lockdown dancing is both a solo conversation and a mass grieving

As both Martha Graham and Hannah Arendt knew, being alone – in dance or in conversation – is a way to explore connection

by Dana Naomy Mills