The Ideas Of The Year 2015

A guide to the intellectual trends that, for better or worse, are informing our national conversation and shaping our lives.

How The New Political Correctness Is Ruining Education

Todays college students can't seem to take a joke.

The Coddling of the American Mind

In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don't like, and seeking punishment of those who give even accidental offense. Here's why that's disastrous for education - and likely to worsen mental health on campus.

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Letter To My Son

"And have brought humanity to the edge of oblivion: because they think they are white." - James Baldwin

American Foreign Policy and the Surge Fallacy

Having misunderstood the lessons of the Iraq War, Republicans are taking a dangerously hawkish turn on foreign policy.

How The Bankers Stayed Out Of Jail

The probes into bank fraud leading up to the crash have been quietly closed. Has justice been done?

Virtual Reality Gets Real

Will you ever see the sun again?

The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration: Part III-V

Two years after being named NBPA president, the Clippers guard dishes for the first time on Michele Roberts, Donald Sterling and the players looming battle with owners. (Hint: They want revenge.)

The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration: Part VI-IX

In saving the sacred cow, those whose lives depend on dead animals are being robbed of their livelihood.

If You're Not Paranoid, You're Crazy

As government agencies and tech companies find ever more intrusive ways to influence and probe our thoughts and behavior, one man considers how to stay human in the panopticon.

Hollywood On The Yellow Sea

Wang Jianlin, one of Chinas richest men, is creating a rival to the American dream factory, from scratch.

The Women Who Changed Spycraft

An old-boy operation was transformed during World War II, and at last the unsung upstarts are getting their due.

Ethiopia's Image-Maker

Aïda Muluneh, whose vibrant photographs explore national identity, wants to upend portrayals of Africa.

Autocorrect

How advances in real-time fact-checking might improve our politics

Eat Food. All The Time. Mostly Junk.

How the “food revolution” turned us into snackers, guaranteeing the demise of healthy home cooking

Liberalism's Last Stand

As Viktor Orbán systematically removed all impediments to his autocratic regime, one independent institution stood defiant: a university, in the heart of Budapest, founded by George Soros. The school’s survival became a test of liberalism’s ability to beat back its new ideological foe—in Hungary and beyond.

To Save The Church, Dismantle The Priesthood

Catholics must detach themselves from the clerical hierarchy— and take the faith back into their own hands.

Don't Worry, It's Just a Phase

Imagine a world without the concept of adolescence.

Unicorn Fever

The mythical creature rises in uncertain times.

Will Disney Kill Off The Movie Theater?

In its quest to beat Netix, it might have to.

What Alexa Taught My Father

Legally blind since age 18, he missed out on the rst digital revolution.

Mrs. Maisel's Secret

Amazon’s hit show is a fantasy of a woman living in two contradictory worlds at once.

Iron Chefs

How automation is transforming the restaurant industry.

The White House Mythmaker

How Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s heroic vision of American presidents led him, and the country, astray

Why Are We So Angry?

The untold story of how we all got so mad at one another

What Really Killed The Dinosaurs?

A Princeton geologist has endured decades of ridicule for arguing that the fifth extinction was caused not by an asteroid but by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions. Her fight with the asteroid camp may be the nastiest feud in all of science— but she’s reopened a debate that had been considered closed.

Thanks For The Memories?

For the past 13 years, I’ve given Facebook my photos, my videos, my likes, and untold hours of my time. Sifting through the detritus was amusing and surprising—and weirdly sad.

The Minister Of Self-Defense

John Correia, the most popular gun educator on YouTube, wants you to prepare for the worst day of your life.

The Secrets In Your Inbox

Employee emails contain valuable insights into company morale—and might even serve as an early-warning system for uncovering malfeasance. Bosses are taking an interest.

The Lie Of Little Women

Subversive secrets lurk in the gap between Louisa May Alcott’s real life and the story she tells.