Beyond Intractability in Context Blog
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Posts ordered from most recent to earliest.
- A thought-provoking and doubtless controversial look at the ways in which Hamas has managed to weaponize global sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people (a plight that they deliberately cultivated). -- Weaponizing Sympathy: 'Pro-Palestinian' blackmail takes center stage. -- Sep 12
- A provocative essay exploring the intersection between technology and culture. -- The Hacking of Culture and the Creation of Socio-Technical Debt -- Sep 11
- A personal account of both the horror of being one of Hamas' hostages, and the horror that follows when one becomes a focal point in the globa propaganda war over the war on Gaza. -- I was a captive of Hamas. After I was freed, I was imprisoned by online trolls. -- Sep 11
- An explanation of the ways in which Democrats used, during their recent Convention, patriotic imagery to alter popular perceptions that they have been overly critical of the United States. -- The Democrats embraced patriotism after all -- Sep 11
- A Wall Street Journal report on the way in which the intersection between the various left-leaning interest groups has influenced the Democratic Party. -- ‘All the Struggles Are Connected.’Protesters failed to disrupt this week’s Democratic convention, but the party got the message. -- Sep 10
- Is YIMBY the true opposite of the NIMBY (not in my backyard) syndrome that has long prevented us from building most anything? Or, is it just a way of saying, yes, build it in somebody else's backyard. -- The Intellectual Roots of YIMBYism -- Sep 10
- As England struggles with what looks like a widespread rebellion against societal changes brought about by immigration, a thoughtful perspective on what is actually happening. -- This sceptred isle. Reflections on the revolution in England. -- Sep 10
- A thoughtful exploration of the complex relationships between progressive, social justice politics and traditional liberalism. -- Yes, It's Easy to Defend Social Justice Politics if You Pretend Social Justice Politics Are Just Liberalism -- Sep 10
- In the context of Democratic efforts to use the word "weird" to describe their Republican adversaries, an essay exploring the ways in which linguistic dynamics affect our thinking. -- The Hidden Grammatical Reason That ‘Weird’ Works -- Sep 09
- A hopeful argument that the economic productivity increases needed to "lift all boats" are actually happening. -- A data-driven case for productivity optimism -- Sep 09
- A retrospective look at Henry Kissinger, realpolitik, and the applicability of that concept to contemporary geopolitics. -- Kissinger’s Folly -- Sep 09
- One idea for limiting the many threats posed by an online world in which AI-generated, artificial people become indistinguishable from the real thing. -- AI researchers call for ‘personhood credentials’ as bots get smarter -- Sep 09
- An in-depth profile of one of those rare political figures that thinks deeply about society and the role of government. -- How to Be Truly Free: Lessons From a Philosopher President -- Sep 08
- For a world in which immigration has become a major flashpoint, concrete ideas for more constructively handling the many who would like to migrate. -- The Case for a Merit-Based Immigration System -- Sep 08
- An article arguing that the popular distinction between Islamists and those who simply believe in Islam leads to serious (and potentially dangerous) misperceptions. -- The Problem Is Islam—Not Islamism -- Sep 08
- A critical, controversial, and thought-provoking look at the way in which increasing adherence to progressive orthodoxies as undermined the quality of journalism. -- Why Wokeism Ruined Journalism — Everywhere -- Sep 08
- As so many of us turn our attention to opinion polls offering the most recent gauge of public opinion, a look at why so many of us are reluctant to reveal our true beliefs to pollsters or anyone else. -- Timur Kuran on Why We Lie About Our Beliefs -- Sep 07
- A must-read essay that raises a critically important question, does human society naturally gravitate toward power-with, egalitarian democracy or power-over authoritarianism? -- The Return of History: Liberal Values and Global Realities -- Sep 07
- A review and brief summary of the thought-provoking new book, "The Goodness Paradox -- The Strange Relationship between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution." -- The Distinctiveness of Human Aggression -- Sep 07
- An explanation of the complex dynamics that lead journalists and the news media to cluster their reporting around relatively homogeneous points of view. -- Why the Media Moves in Unison -- Sep 07
- An example of delicate balancing strategies that are needed to win US elections. -- Harris can seal the deal this week by being new, improved — and loyal -- Sep 06
- Ezra Klein's illuminating reflections on the differences between Democrats and Republicans. -- Trump Turned the Democratic Party Into a Pitiless Machine -- Sep 05
- An undoubtedly controversial, outside critique of the Democratic Party's obligatory "land acknowledgments" -- a critique that asks hard questions about our messy and fraught history. -- Democrat platform says America was built on stolen land -- Sep 04
- A retrospective look at the origins of the theory of "settler colonialism" -- a theory that has done much to frame the Gaza crisis in the eyes of the world. -- How Settler-Colonialism Colonized the Universities - The Atlantic -- Sep 04
- A critique of higher education and a strategy for learning the things that you should have learned in college. -- Deep Reading Will Save Your Soul -- Sep 04