The Importance of Being Idle
What Paul Lafargue taught us about work
By Robert Zaretsky Monday, March 30, 2026
Gilded Guilt
On Taylor Swift, Julian Fellowes, and the class conflicts that never die
By Jessa Crispin Friday, February 13, 2026
The Popper Principle
Did Plato really espouse ideas that led eventually to totalitarianism?
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, January 29, 2026
It’s a Wonderful (Falling Apart) Life
In the disrepair of our everyday world are suggestions of life’s burdens and consolations
By Ben Slote Friday, December 19, 2025
The Conspiracist Cotton Mather
The zealot who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials initially voiced restraint—what changed?
By Colin Dickey Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Baby Shoggoth Is Listening
Why are some writers tailoring their work for AI, and what does this mean for the future of writing and reading?
By Dan Kagan-Kans Wednesday, October 29, 2025
What Is an American Hero, Anyway?
Lists of great artists say more about the list-maker than the artist
By Jessa Crispin Friday, October 24, 2025
Inner Demon Hunters
Could a hit animated movie hold the key to healing generational trauma in Korea?
By Jean Kim Friday, October 10, 2025
Days of Awe
The Romantics sought the sublime in nature, but the feeling may be experienced in humanity, too
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, September 25, 2025
Starving
The feelings of yearning and loss, when faced with an empty nest, can manifest in striking ways
By Laura Bernstein-Machlay Friday, February 23, 2024
A State of Perpetual Unease
Sartre’s essay on French anti-Semitism cast the problem in existential terms
By Robert Zaretsky Friday, December 15, 2023
Keeping House
Clinging to the rituals of home—even when longing to let them go
By Amanda Parrish Morgan Friday, November 17, 2023
Philip Gove and “Our Word”
A lexicographer remembers the worst frigging part of the job
By David Skinner Friday, November 10, 2023
Beethoven Underground
One ensemble bids farewell, with another just getting started
By Vivien Schweitzer Thursday, November 2, 2023
The Forgotten Writers of the Shoah
What the work of women survivors can tell us about the horrors of life in the camps
By Jeanne Bonner Friday, September 15, 2023
The Humanist in the Laboratory
A personal encounter with J. Robert Oppenheimer
By Mark N. Grant Friday, August 25, 2023
The Decreationist
Simone Weil’s thoughts on the unmaking of the self
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, August 24, 2023
“Better Asians than Blacks”
What we’re missing about the SCOTUS decision on race-conscious admissions
By Claire Jean Kim Thursday, July 20, 2023
