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
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
Knowledge and reason
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Reason is a powerful tool, but it pays to know its limits
As a philosophy student, I was bewitched by the power of reason – but my life is freer since I escaped from its spell
by Pranay Sanklecha
Death and dying
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Why ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead beneath the floor
In an age before photos or audio recordings, people found other ways to stay sensorially connected to their deceased
by Nicola Laneri
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
Consciousness
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The myth of machine consciousness makes Narcissus of us all
The idea that AI can be conscious is a mistake. It’s just a very shiny mirror of humanity, reflecting what we want to see
by David Bentley Hart
The nature of reality
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Uncertainty isn’t a human flaw, it’s a feature of the world
They bring contrasting perspectives, but a literary scholar and a physicist agree on the wisdom of embracing uncertainty
by Richard C Sha & Nathan Harshman
Creativity
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A life of splendid uselessness is a life well lived
Like the fertile soil of a well-kept garden, a life of splendid, utter uselessness yields abundance beyond our immediate aims
by Joseph M Keegin
Knowledge and reason
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Our big problem is not misinformation; it’s knowingness
Everybody knows we live in an age of misinformation. But everybody’s wrong, and here’s why it’s our age’s biggest problem
by Jonathan Malesic
Human rights and justice
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Hidden in translation – Jewish resistance to Spanish empire
Translation as a powerful form of resistance: how a 16th-century Sephardic Jew conquered the colonial narrative from Spain
by Flora Cassen
Race and ethnicity
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If racial identity can be fluid, who changes their race?
Understanding how individuals change their self-described race helps us decode racial dynamics in the US and beyond
by Alexander Agadjanian
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