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 […]
Are Colleges Just Social Justice Camps?
US college campuses are in a disastrous state, according to outspoken conservative commentator Candace Owens. In Blackout, Owens’s diatribe against the Democratic Party, Black Lives Matter, feminism, and other political movements, she also finds time to criticize the state of higher education. We live in a hyper-racialized culture that undermines meaningful racial harmony, Owens says. Those who […]
What Did the President Know?
It’s difficult for reporters to get clear information on President Trump’s thoughts because he avoids hard questions. But Bob Woodward had something that most journalists don’t get: access. Over 17 surprisingly frank interviews with the president, Woodward gained deep insight into the way Trump’s mind works. When Woodward’s book Rage came out last month, the world was […]
Are You Afraid to Talk About This?
A lot of people don’t want to talk about it. They’re afraid they’ll say something wrong, or get in trouble. But across the United States, more people are coming to the realization that conversations about race are long overdue. In her bestselling book So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo explains that too often, […]
Can You Spot a Psychopath?
A mysterious manuscript led journalist Jon Ronson into the heart of the “madness industry,” where he talked to some of the top psychologists and neurologists who study psychopaths. Ronson’s investigation introduced him to a researcher with an interesting idea: that murderous criminals and corporate executives share many of the same psychological traits. The main difference is […]
Does Viral News Cloud Your Judgment?
Staying on top of the news has become a matter of survival. Unfortunately, the news shapes not just our knowledge, but also our emotional states. Exposure to too many negative news stories—and that seems like most of them, these days—can therefore affect your ability to digest information properly and make good decisions. This means that […]
Build Trust Fast
This week, the chief executives of Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google were grilled by the US House Judiciary Committee. Members of both major American political parties have clamored for the four Big Tech firms to be investigated for violation of antitrust legislation. The four executives—Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, […]
Predict the Future
The famed statistician Nate Silver has his work cut out for him. 2020 has been a year of great upheaval and unrest, with uncertainty in the economy, in public health, and in the upcoming US presidential election. In The Signal and the Noise, Silver’s classic book about predictions, he offers an interesting piece of advice: don’t […]
End on a Good Note
We’ve all been there. A lackluster Zoom meeting. A presentation that falls flat. A vacation that doesn’t go as planned. If you ever find yourself flopping, here’s a quick tip to salvage the situation: make sure to end on a positive note. The way in which an experience concludes helps to crystallize a good—or bad—memory. Often enough, […]
Know When the Price Is Right
After a drastic drop in March and April, consumer confidence has been shaky around the globe—slightly up in the US, and down in China. Amidst so much upheaval, it’s reassuring to know that some things haven’t changed, including the principles that govern consumers’ choices. In Dollars and Sense, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores how consumers calculate the value […]
