Sam Haselby
Sam is a historian of early America with a particular interest in religion and politics. He was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and has been a faculty member at the American University of Beirut, the American University in Cairo and at Columbia University in New York City. He was a Senior Executive Producer at Al Jazeera America and is the author of The Origins of American Religious Nationalism (paperback, 2016). @samhaselby
Edited by Sam Haselby
Communication and language
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Censoring offensive language threatens our freedom to think
The modern obsession with textual purity stems from a misapplication of the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Derrida
by Paul Ham
Play
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The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play
This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession
by Alec Stubbs
Thinkers and theories
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How the feminist philosopher Helene Stöcker canonised Nietzsche
Despite Nietzsche’s reputation for misogyny, his work inspired a leading women’s rights activist of the early 20th century
by Lydia Moland
Technology and media
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The illusion of closeness: how social media redefined respect
As we share and like and post, have our notions of restraint transformed so profoundly that all dignity becomes abandoned?
by Lutif Ali Halo
Grief
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After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale
Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things
by Veronica Menaldi
Rituals and celebrations
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Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam
What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?
by Gina Elia
Sacred places
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Why Indian Buddhism has gardens, not monasteries
Wishing trees, jewels, unfading flowers – what place do these sensual pleasures have in the ascetic life of Buddhist monks?
by Simran Agarwal
Sports and games
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Sport shows how to use performance benchmarks in a positive way
IQ scores and other contextless benchmarks are suffocating and misleading. We should look to sport for a healthier approach
by Leif Weatherby
Communication and language
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Listening in on horror: why many women love true crime podcasts
True crime podcasts turn violence against women into a form of entertainment. Why do so many female listeners enjoy them?
by Amelia Anthony
Mindfulness and meditation
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When mindfulness meets capitalism, it loses its way
The modern business of mindfulness strips the practice of both its spiritual meaning and much of its practical value
by Chris Wheatley
Technology and media
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Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too
People fret about the authenticity of AI chatbots but precisely the same issues confront everyday exchanges between humans
by Larry S McGrath
Sadness and sorrow
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When emotions rot, they compost and transform into something new
A self that fractures through loss or grief marks a psychological shift, beginning a cycle of regrowth through decomposition
by Kelsey Day