Stoicism teaches us everything must end. But the philosophy of the Stoics has enjoyed a cultural revival in the work of self-help gurus like Ryan Holiday, who has imparted ancient wisdom in his sessions with NFL coaches, hip-hop musicians, and Silicon Valley’s elite. In his new bestseller, Lives of the Stoics, Holiday shows how the life […]
Next Steps for the United States
The presidential election in the United States has made one thing very clear: the country’s political divide is even deeper than it was in 2016. What is the best way forward for Americans who want to work together? Veteran journalist Dan Rather argues that it requires honestly confronting what is wrong with the nation and […]
Why Wokeness Doesn’t Work
Wokeness doesn’t work. At least that’s the opinion of political commentator Douglas Murray. Murray’s belief is that society’s growing awareness of people’s differences has led to more problems than solutions. This relentless emphasis on difference has led to a worthless consideration of injustice without any action to help people overcome it. Groups that people have tried to form […]
How to Get What You Want
Strategy. Power. Human nature. Self-help author Robert Greene has written about them all. In The Art of Seduction, Greene takes a deep dive into the intricacies of social power. According to Greene, natural charisma isn’t everything. In fact, charisma exists on a spectrum, which means that it’s a quality that can be cultivated. To amplify your […]
Your Guide to a Better Life
No one else can do it for you. To be happy, you’re going to have to put in the work. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine’s advice is to adopt a Stoic approach to daily living. Irvine says that the ancient Stoic philosophy is the best way to combat the challenges of modern […]
How to Set the Right Goals
Chris Hadfield is one of the most famous astronauts in the world. But when he decided to pursue space travel, his home country, Canada, didn’t even have a space program. How did he go about taking practical steps to chase a seemingly impossible dream? It all started when nine-year-old Hadfield, glued to his family’s TV set, […]
The Roots of Unrest
Over the last few weeks, concern regarding inequities in the US criminal justice system have come to a head in protests against police brutality across the country. While civil unrest has spread rapidly, the underlying issues represent a chronic problem of which many people were blissfully unaware: Racism is a longstanding problem in the US […]
3 Tips for Weathering a Downturn
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment. According to the World Bank, the global pandemic has triggered a recession that will be the deepest one the world has seen in decades. Many people, particularly those who have lost their jobs or fear they soon will, feel […]
Deadly secrets
Nuclear accidents and secrecy are a terrifying combination. But even a government apparatus as clandestine as the Soviet Union couldn’t hide a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl. While Ukrainians’ mistaken notion that radiation poisoning could be neutralized with vodka was dispelled quickly in the aftermath of the crisis, denial of responsibility and propaganda persisted […]
A Field Guide to Extinction
They ruled the planet for 150 million years. And then they were just…gone. Millions of years later, the traces of these giant reptiles—their strange skeletons, with teeth the size of railroad spikes—still inspire a powerful sense of awe. Our Instaread on Steve Brussate’s THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS captures the current state of […]
