Beyond Intractability in Context Blog
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Posts ordered from most recent to earliest.
- At a time of widespread protest in China, Iran, and (perhaps, under the surface) Russia, a sobering look at how rarely revolutionary uprising actually succeed (and why authoritarianism must be avoided). -- When Was the Last Successful Revolution? -- Dec 13
- From Facebook, hopeful news that there are at least some serious and promising ideas for promoting more constructive online interactions. -- Meta’s Proposed Reforms Are Significant -- Dec 12
- A provocative exploration of the different ways in which progressives and traditionalists see the world (and the relationship between the resulting worldviews and objective reality). -- Brute Physical Facts and Social Construction -- Dec 12
- A look at a less widely recognized threat to democracy -- the nationalization of politics and a corresponding deterioration in the ability of local communities to make their own decisions. -- Are Local Politics Extinct? -- Dec 11
- A major inquiry into an alarming threat -- major geopolitical actors who are trying (often in clandestine ways) to get civil society organizations to help them pursue their goals. -- Global Civil Society in a Geopolitical Age: How Great Power Competition Is Reshaping Civic Activism -- Dec 11
- Thoughtful reflections on the differences between US interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine and what this means for the future of war (and prospects for preventing war). -- The Future of American Warfare Is Unfolding in Ukraine -- Dec 09
- An in-depth look at the many costs associated with an inability to constructively handle intractable conflicts over deep-rooted moral and distributional issues. -- How Meltdowns Brought Progressive Groups to a Standstill -- Dec 09
- An exhaustive analysis of recent trends in political violence in the United States – violence that, thankfully, is still far below what the US experienced in the 1960s and early 1970s. -- The Rise of Political Violence in the United States -- Dec 08
- A thought-provoking report on a new analysis of the long-standing conflict between the freedom of speech and the right to privacy. -- ‘Seek and Hide’ Grapples With the Complexity of the Right to Privacy -- Dec 08
- An enlightening look at the issues the Supreme Court is considering in 303 Creative v. Elenis and the possibility that the government will increasingly be able to tell us what we can and can't say. -- The Most Consequential First Amendment Case This Term -- Dec 07
- For those who can't quite wrap their mind around Zuckerberg's vision of the metaverse, an especially clear statement of what it is, its promise, and the danger it could pose to our future. -- Life in the Metaverse -- Dec 07
- An in-depth review and summary of an important new book exploring the complex, bewildering, and often indefensible mechanics underlying programs designed to correct racial disparities. -- Review of Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America -- Dec 06
- A thought-provoking essay on racism, strategies for opposing it, and the multi-faceted issue of "tokenism." -- Harvard, Herschel Walker and ‘Tokenism’ -- Dec 06
- Truly terrifying news that, rather than appreciating the wonders of the modern world and applying themselves to the task making it better, people are giving up on the human enterprise altogether. -- The People Cheering for Humanity's End -- Dec 04
- From a Christian perspective, a more universal explanation of the limits of fundamentalism and the belief in absolute self-righteousness -- "a closed fist can’t overcome the open hand." -- How Fundamentalism Fails -- Dec 04
- An argument worth considering -- the possibility that the intersectional struggle against oppression will lead to an era of widespread conflict between the various identity groups. -- After Intersectionalism -- Dec 04
- Amid our continuing frustrations with chaotic democratic systems that repeatedly fail to live up to their ideals, a welcome look at democracy's strengths and its advantages over authoritarianism. -- Enough about democracy’s weaknesses. Let’s talk about its strengths. -- Dec 04
- For those interested in defending academic freedom and the ability of universities to help us really solve problems, a report on the campaign to build support for the "Chicago Trifecta." -- More than 1,000 professors sign on to ‘Stanford Academic Freedom Declaration’ -- Dec 03
- A statistical look at a critical dimension of cultural diversity -- differing assessments of what makes life meaningful. -- What Makes Life Meaningful? Views From 17 Advanced Economies -- Dec 03
- An exceptionally clear explanation of how democracy is actually being undermined by the many ways in which the left and the right frame their political opponents as existential threats to democracy. -- When Partisans Cry Wolf -- Dec 02
- A comprehensive look at how the extreme us-vs-them rhetoric of the hard left and the hard right is viewed by the majority of voters who inhabit the political center. -- A Dispatch from the Exhausted Majority -- Dec 02
- From the Wall Street Journal, a carefully reasoned explanation of what those on the right see as today's big civil rights issue (and a proposed remedy) -- a controversial viewpoint worth understanding. -- The New Woke Discrimination Demands a New Law -- Dec 01
- A review of an important new book, "Slouching Towards Utopia," that offers a complexity-oriented view of the chaotic forces that have produced widespread economic prosperity. -- Slouching Towards Utopia -- Dec 01
- From Naftali Bennett, lessons learned from Israel's attempt to govern across deep political divides -- an attempt that focused on the "70/70 rule" (the 70% of issues that 70% of Israelis agree upon). -- A Good-Will Government Was Possible in Israel -- Nov 30
- For deeply divided society, a more realistic look at things that might be actually accomplished over the near-term. -- Biden Can Still Get Things Done. Achieving National Unity Isn’t One of Them -- Nov 21
