Featured
Expertise in the Time of COVID-19
Uncertainty, politicization, and the need for specialized knowledge all threaten our ability to competently weigh evidence and reasons. What can we do when we are in no position to judge?
“Chinese Virus”? On the Ethics of Coronavirus Nicknames
The WHO has moved away from including origin in the naming convention for diseases, and they've done so for good reasons.
Institutions’ Right to Block: ICAO vs. Taiwan
What might justify an organization or government's wielding of exclusionary power? What does it mean to be removed from the conversation?
Opinion
Slow and Steady Wins the Race; or, How Not To Confuse...
The virtue of patience is being replaced by expediency. But what marks the appropriate time to sidestep procedure?
Utilitarian Arguments During COVID: A Symptom, Not the Answer
The question of where we are, how we got here, and what we should do now is more complex than our current conversation admits.
A Time for Re-Imagining
The current crisis offers a rare opportunity to reexamine and revise the economic, political, and social structures that define our worldview.
Culture
The Remote of Morty and the Ring of Gyges
The most recent episode of Rick and Morty raises familiar questions about the value of virtue—and the harm of immoral action—in the absence of consequences.
Lessons from ‘Queen and Slim’
Melina Matsoukas’s film offers a nuanced exploration of issues like police brutality and tries to communicate the realities of the black experience to a wider audience.
Gay Representation and ‘Onward’
Corporations often try to brand themselves as inclusive and progressive, but is there any substance behind these labels or is it all just marketing?
Recent
Pandemic Beliefs and Lost Causes
Speaking only to one's faithful followers is not an effective strategy for solving collective action problems, but it takes a good deal of courage to not give up.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race; or, How Not To Confuse...
The virtue of patience is being replaced by expediency. But what marks the appropriate time to sidestep procedure?
The Quandary of Contact Tracing Tech
Different governments' contact tracing strategies raise important questions about public health and personal privacy.
The Small but Unsettling Voice of the Expert Skeptic
When even our experts disagree how can we locate the proper balance between skepticism, agnosticism, and justified belief?
The Remote of Morty and the Ring of Gyges
The most recent episode of Rick and Morty raises familiar questions about the value of virtue—and the harm of immoral action—in the absence of consequences.
COVID-19 to Climate Change: Who Can Act?
The concerted effort required to overcome our current predicament is a proving ground for the battle that still awaits us.