Hyperreal: The next-level escape from the human condition
Our species-long efforts to escape reality are headed to an unreal place.
The coming extinction of the university
The traditional college teaching model is fatally mismatched to the brains of digital natives.
The stupid and necessary climate pill
We're not going to stop feeding the atmosphere carbs. So the stupid pill it is.
The never-ending appeal of the magic man
Complex problems call for complex solutions. Oh well.
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.