Society

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

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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

From Peruvian healers battling sorcerers to Chinese executives seeking financial success, ayahuasca’s power shifts across worlds

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

A cat sitting on ancient ruins with tall columns under a clear blue sky.

essayThinkers and theories

Nothing alive is alien to me

Who belongs to our moral community? The Greek philosopher Empedocles had an answer: all life, from humans to the laurel bush

Tristan Moyle

Black and white photo of a line of people marching on a city street holding signs protesting against the draft for the Vietnam War.

essayWar and peace

Not in our name

The gravest of all decisions, to go to war, happens without the consent of the people. This is a great flaw in democracy

Vincenza Falletti

Black-and-white photo of hands framing the sky with a modern building in the background.

videoLove and friendship

What people’s hand gestures reveal when they’re asked about love

9 minutes

Painting of three people in formal attire with minimal facial features standing by the sea under a light blue sky.

videoGlobal history

The story of the captives transported on the HMS Beagle with Darwin

9 minutes

Sepia-toned photo of people labouring on a plantation with baskets and tools, set against a backdrop of hills and buildings.

essayGlobal history

The deepest South

Slavery in Latin America, on a huge scale, was different from that in the United States. Why don’t we know this history?

Ana Lucia Araujo

Photo of a person with a backpack walking up a narrow outdoor staircase between brick buildings and lush greenery.

videoHome

Cheng visits his hometown, awash in the tides of history and time

20 minutes

Photo of a lone bench facing turbulent ocean waves under a cloudy sky. The area is partially flooded by the sea.

essayEarth science and climate

The model of catastrophe

The immense complexity of the climate makes it impossible to model accurately. Instead we must use uncertainty to our advantage

David Stainforth

An ant on a twig against a pastel pink and purple background with its reflection on a glossy surface.

essayBioethics

The ant you can save

Should we simply assume that all animals can feel pain and are of moral concern? Or is that taking things too far?

Jeff Sebo & Andreas L Mogensen

Painting of a person in glasses holding a cigarette, with yellow plants in the background and a dark green-yellow colour scheme.

videoWar and peace

A glimpse of daily life for people in isolated, war-torn Myanmar

13 minutes

A vast open-pit coal mine with excavation machinery surrounded by green hills.

essayEnvironmental history

Are you Confusedocene?

As a scientific concept the Anthropocene is dead. But it’s such a helpful idea to think with, should we use it anyway?

Ville Lähde

Photo of a close-up saltmarsh sparrow’s head against a blue sky and grassy landscape background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Racing rising tides, volunteers work to save a bird on the brink

25 minutes

Photo of two women seated indoors, one using a phone the other reading a newspaper, with plants and wooden furniture.

videoHome

Can young and old coexist at a feminist co-living residence?

21 minutes

A shirtless man with multiple ears growing out of his body in strange places, in a dimly lit room.

essayFilm and visual culture

Power and flesh

As struggles over the human body escalate, we should return to the work of cinema’s greatest anatomist: David Cronenberg

Travis Alexander

Medieval illustration of a map, depicting ornate ships, islands and sea creatures on a stylised ocean.

essayGlobal history

The world without hegemony

As Pax Americana ends, a multipolar order is emerging. The history of Southeast Asia holds lessons for what’s to come

Manjeet S Pardesi & Amitav Acharya