Sam Dresser

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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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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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Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works

Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech

by Elek Lane

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The curious paradox in how we address each other today

While honouring people’s preferred pronouns, we’ve begun to neglect forms of formal address. Perhaps we need a rethink

by David Benatar

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The ‘masculinity crisis’ is actually a crisis of self-esteem

There’s a modern belief that talent or effort can carry anyone to the top. It’s a myth that’s especially harmful to men

by Leo Rogers

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Restorative justice fits human nature more than retribution does

As recognised by ancestral wisdom and Indigenous practices, our need to repair relationships is a deep-rooted instinct

by Flavia Corso

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Bunkerised society – why prepping for end times is so American

Millions are preparing for doomsday, not together, but by closing the hatch. It’s a logical response to a hollowed-out state

by Robert Kirsch & Emily Ray

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I am an article about the speaking objects of ancient Greece

Talkative drinking cups and threatening oil flasks tell us how the written word asserted its authority in an oral society

by Teddy Fassberg