Society

Essays and videos on social issues, history, political life and the future

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Painting of industrial workers and scientists performing tasks; includes gears, blueprints and factory elements.

essayPolitical philosophy

Landholder vs stockholder

In 1752, David Hume discerned that wealth was becoming untethered from land. Here lies the origin of our political divisions

Catherine Nichols

Painting of a boy at an open window with a dandelion seed above him, in a textured, earthy-toned setting.

videoLove and friendship

The loving lies a father wrote to his daughter from a gulag

12 minutes

Sepia-toned photo of a person in traditional armour with a spiked helmet holding a weapon in a forest setting.

videoDesign and fashion

How islanders of Oceania built fearsome armour without metal

18 minutes

A humanoid robot holding a water bottle in front of parked cars under a partly cloudy sky.

essayAutomation and robotics

The synthetic self

In order to better understand our human nature, we must attempt to build a robot capable of robust subjective experiences

Tony J Prescott

A vibrant street scene with decorated vehicles, colourful flags and banners in front of a large urban building.

essayThinkers and theories

The tragedy of Trần Đức Thảo

How the persecuted Vietnamese philosopher became one of the first theorists of the divide between colonised and coloniser

Rory O’Sullivan

A person playing a stringed instrument with focus on the tuning pegs and the blurred player in the background.

videoMusic

Why millennia of history echo in each strum of a Persian tar

4 minutes

Art deco painting of two women, one nude holding a rose, surrounded by birds and a person playing a lyre in red and black.

essayThe ancient world

The erotic poems of Bilitis

A lush translation of this late-discovered lesbian poet added to the legacy of Sappho, but there was a trickster at work

Cat Lambert

Silhouetted figure at a desk with US flag nearby, backlit by sunlight through curtains.

essayPolitical philosophy

Incandescent anger

Politics today is driven by grievances that can never be assuaged. For democracy’s survival, we must grapple with this dynamic

Paul Katsafanas

Black-and-white illustration of a group of people in a room with a cassette player, a person holding a guitar, and a person reading a book.

videoWar and peace

In rare, candid interviews, Russians discuss life amid war

13 minutes

London’s Gherkin building lit at night with Canary Wharf skyscrapers glowing in the hazy background.

essayHistory of ideas

Philosopher of pride

For Mandeville, humankind has a bottomless need to be liked: it is this perennial craving that forms the foundation of society

Andrea Branchi

Photo of hornbill perched on a tree trunk with vibrant beak, surrounded by green leaves under a clear sky.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

How a beautiful bird helps Southeast Asia’s rainforests flourish

16 minutes

Illustration of three people wearing headscarves walking along a wall carrying books and backpacks with trees and a decorative gate in the background.

essayBiography and memoir

A life of joy and work

I am banned from working now, but as I look back on my long, challenging career in Afghanistan I feel hope for the future

Najla & Asad Nariman

Black and white painting of a hand holding a spear aimed at a tree with glowing leaves against a dark background.

videoHuman rights and justice

Why is this Kenyan artefact in storage at a German museum?

30 minutes

Pope Francis wearing white robes waters a freshly planted tree from a wooden bowl, a man holding a book and a woman wearing a colourful headdress beside him and a cameraman in the background

essayReligion

Green dominion

Coursing through Catholicism is a radical tradition of environmental justice that will help combat the climate crisis

Mike Mariani

A group of people in striped clothing and headscarves standing in shallow water, raising hands towards a cloudy sky.

essayPhilosophy of religion

Undefinable yet indispensable

Despite centuries of trying, the term ‘religion’ has proven impossible to define. Then why does it remain so necessary?

Kwame Anthony Appiah

Digital image of a rural scene with a horse-drawn cart on a road lined by tall trees, fields and houses under a blue sky.

videoThe ancient world

Explore the vast road network that made the Roman Empire possible

9 minutes

Aerial photo of people in colourful clothes standing in line casting long shadows on a dirt path surrounded by greenery.

essayPolitical philosophy

The empty ideology

Liberalism hasn’t delivered on its promises in Africa. The alternative will be found in ideas rooted in Africa’s own soil

Gabriel Asuquo

Black and white photo of a woman and child walking on a cobbled street in an industrial town with chimneys in the background.

essayFamily life

Maternal paradox

‘Scientific motherhood’ promised to create high standards for child-rearing. But it’s really a system designed to police women

Sherry Chan

Medieval painting of a figure in a robe holding two golden discs with a patterned blue and red background.

essayArt

Medieval moons

Some saw the Moon as representing creation, yearning for the Divine, some saw the Moon as almost Divine herself

Ayoush Lazikani

Photo of moths flying around a bright light against a dark background at night.

videoBiology

Do we finally understand why winged insects seem drawn to light?

7 minutes

Photo of a person wearing traditional headwear with animal horns standing before clay huts with thatched roofs in a rural setting in Western Africa.

videoArchitecture

Inside the remarkable, endangered mud castles of West Africa

9 minutes

A herd of elephants walking through a dusty landscape with a blurred background of trees and bushes.

essayBiology

Desert survivors

Elephant families are matriarchal, inclusive and caring. But when environmental scarcity hits, everything changes

Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell

Close-up photo of hands passing a small wooden cup during a dimly lit gathering with bottles visible in the background.

essayConsciousness and altered states

A wondrous brew

Ayahuasca has gone global. But do corporate managers in China’s megacities have the same visions as shamans in Peru?

Alex K Gearin

Graphic depiction of a Go game board with numbered black and white circles and Japanese characters, in a grid layout.

videoFilm and visual culture

Japanese news clippings from 1991 blur into a hypnotic collage

3 minutes