The Latest
Black Abolitionists Believed in Taking Up Arms
Long before the Civil War, black abolitionists shared the consensus that violence would be necessary to end slavery.
Uncivil Disobedience in Hong Kong
The protests have been critiqued for their rejection of classic nonviolence—but that may help explain why they has been so successful.
Elizabeth Hand’s Curious Toys
Celebrated novelists John Crowley and Elizabeth Hand discuss Hand’s new novel and the ways that historical fiction can and cannot answer our questions about the past.
The Radical Equality of Lives
Judith Butler talks with Brandon M. Terry about MLK, the grievability of black lives, and how to defend nonviolence today.
From the Editors: On Anger
Our new issue explores anger in its many forms—public and private, personal and political—raising an issue that we must grapple with: Does the vast well of public anger compromise us all?
New Issue: On Anger
Our winter 2020 issue has gone to press, featuring Agnes Callard, Paul Bloom, Elizabeth Bruenig, Judith Butler, Martha Nussbaum and more. Preorder now.
The Bird at the Window
Since 1970 North America has lost 29 percent of its bird population. New York City alone kills almost a quarter of a million birds each year. More than most people, poets have tried to respond to these unremarked—and mostly preventable—deaths.
Whose Liberalism?
With its elite decision-makers and opinion-formers, the Economist has exerted tremendous influence on popular liberal discourse for more than a century.
Herman Melville the Poet
The author of Moby Dick is best known for his novels, but he devoted the second half of his life to writing poetry.
Getting Counterinsurgency Wrong
Washington Post reporting exposed that U.S. operations in Afghanistan were horribly mismanaged, but even a well-run mission would have been doomed to fail.
Walks in the Park: On the Foreignness of the Socialist Past
December 22 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the overthrow of the Romanian socialist state of Nicolae Ceaușescu. In a work of memoir, Nachescu recalls growing up under communism and wonders about the world Romanians hoped would follow its fall.
What Is Medicine For?
In place of the hype over personalized medicine, we need a more sober evaluation of the meaning of health and health care.
Atone—But Not Because It Will Save Democracy
Germany’s official policy of shame about its past is a model the United States should adopt. But it won’t protect either country from far-right extremism.
AI’s Human Problem
Two new books about machine creativity mostly reveal how little appreciation we still have for the full range of human creativity.
László Krasznahorkai’s Catastrophic Harmonies
The winner of the National Book Award for Translated Literature serves up an apocalyptic vision of Hungarian society.
Selling Keynesianism
We can learn a lot from the mid-century popularizing efforts that led to public consensus on Keynesian economic principles.
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