How movies get our future wrong—and right
There's a lot we can't know about the future. But films should at least include the things we know for sure.
The Shrinkening
For all the energy I put in, my input at the national level has come to nothing. What if I start thinking locally?
Machines and meaning: AI's role in a humanist future
AI raises important questions about what it means to be human. It's time to have that conversation.
The twist ending of history
On the strange, seductive lure of authoritarianism.
Book burning in the digital age
The right has long felt that some of our history needs adjustment. How far will they go?
When the future forgets the past
Knowledge disappears easily.
Letting go of my last big myth
Burying the myth of god was easy compared to freeing myself from the myth of progress.
A brief history of temporary dictatorships
The best time to learn how authoritarianism works is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
The dangerous missing piece in the coming election
It's not just about courtesy.
How the Electoral College dies
There is a real chance that future elections will take place without the red-and-blue map of the Electoral College. Here's how it could happen.
The emptying of Florida
Many Floridians currently fleeing Hurricane Milton are unlikely to return. It may be the first big step in the predicted near-emptying of the climate-exposed peninsula.
The methadone of the people
It's tempting to imagine a future free of the opium of the people. But there's a new addiction right behind it.