Beyond Intractability in Context Blog
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Posts ordered from most recent to earliest.
- A look at a small, but potentially quite powerful, segment of the electorate -- populists dismayed about the current direction of society who see moderate politicians as the solution. -- The Populist Independents -- Feb 02
- An "If it exists it must be possible" story. This one looks at Wikipedia's remarkable success in writing articles that are broadly seen as objective and reliable. -- Wikipedia Quietly Shapes How We View the World -- Feb 02
- A report on a fascinating new compilation of mini-biographies telling the story of how life experiences have altered the views of those who have tried to make the world a better place. -- Someone Else's Utopia -- Feb 01
- From Amanda Ripley, provocative essay that explores the inflammatory role being played by conflict entrepreneurs and the misconceptions that we spend so much time fighting about. -- We keep moving from one wrong fight to another. Here’s how to stop. -- Feb 01
- A pretty well-documented example of what can go wrong when supposedly objective fact-finders start favoring politically convenient facts over objective evidence. -- Partisan ‘Fact Checkers’ Spread Climate-Change Misinformation -- Jan 31
- Amid all of the sound and fury over Florida's proposed AP course in African-American studies, a thought-provoking report that tries to explain the nature of the conflict and the issues involved. -- Reading, Writing, and … Black Studies? -- Jan 31
- A report on the search for commonalities in the motives of mass shooters that documents the important role played by social alienation. -- We Profiled the ‘Signs of Crisis’ in 50 Years of Mass Shootings. This Is What We Found. -- Jan 30
- An exceptionally good compilation of reasonable ideas (and supporting evidence) for limiting the terrible toll associated with gun-related violence. -- A Smarter Way to Reduce Gun Deaths -- Jan 30
- A thoughtful look at how technology is changing the nature of the communities in which we live our lives. -- Vertical communities -- Jan 29
- From a Republican perspective, a look at the potential power of political moderates, the difficulties that moderates have faced, and strategies for overcoming those difficulties. -- How Moderate Republicans Became an Endangered Species -- Jan 29
- Encouraging news that, despite our many problems and worries, we are continuing to fulfill the American dream of intergenerational upward mobility. -- Upward Mobility Is Alive and Well in America -- Jan 25
- Amid all the heated rhetoric about the virtues and vices of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a rare chance (thanks to a FOIA request) to actually see the materials being used in these programs. -- The U.S. Government’s Woke Training -- Jan 25
- A review of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeve -- Rebalancing the Gender Narrative -- Jan 25
- A look at the dangers of a political system that focuses so much of its attention on its angriest citizens -- those that are convinced that the other side's views are wholly illegitimate. -- Activism and Apathy Are Poisoning American Politics -- Jan 24
- A welcome critique of the overused claim that "history is on our side." History is not inevitable, it's what we make of it and, besides, there is no absolutely and universally right set of beliefs. -- There Is No Right Side of History -- Jan 24
- A critical look at critical thinking programs along with ideas about what critical thinking should be and how we can really cultivate it. -- Critical Thinking, Reverential Thinking, and Lashing Out -- Jan 24
- A welcome report about a conference focused on helping universities refocus on their core mission – the promotion of the "critical inquiry and scholarly debate that produces true knowledge." -- A Report From the Stanford Academic Freedom Conference -- Jan 23
- A critical look at the world of academic publishing that tries to understand why it is generating so few of the bright ideas that we need to meet today's big challenges. -- The Consolidation-Disruption Index Is Alarming -- Jan 23
- From Jonathan Rauch, thought-provoking reflections on how his view of the complex system that is modern democracy has evolved. -- From Spontaneous Order to Ordered Spontaneity -- Jan 23
- For those trying to understand what Martin Luther King would have to say about our troubled times, an essay emphasizing his beliefs about the importance of personal reflection. -- Martin Luther King Would Choose Reflection Over ‘Intersectionality’ -- Jan 22
- Reflections on what could easily become a highly disruptive new technology. We need to figure out how to use AI to help us solve problems while also preserving rewarding employment opportunities. -- How ChatGPT Will Destabilize White-Collar Work -- Jan 22
- An essay from the author of "The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy" that explores ways of reaching those who are turning away from democracy. -- The Uncomfortable Truths That Could Yet Defeat Fascism -- Jan 22
- An update on a major effort to understand the factors that contribute to our most complex, important, and elusive social objective -- human happiness. -- What the Longest Study on Human Happiness Found Is the Key to a Good Life -- Jan 21
- More insight into the incredible complexities of human psychology. This one looks at the nature of our internal conflicts and what happens when we can't decide what to believe and what to do. -- Mixed Feelings Can Be Worse Than Bad Ones -- Jan 21
- One of the most encouraging and uplifting essays I've read in a long time. It asks us to put aside our worst-case cognitive biases and look at the bigger picture -- one that is far more positive. -- America Is on the Right Track -- Jan 21
