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Society

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

Animals and humans Anthropology Archaeology Automation and robotics Cities Demography and migration Economic history Economics Education Environmental history Fairness and equality Future of technology Gender Global history History History of technology Human rights and justice Information and communication Making Nations and empires Politics and government Poverty and development Progress and modernity Public health Race and ethnicity Religion The ancient world The environment The future War and peace Work

LatestPopular

Photo of a humpback whale underwater, showing its head and eye against a deep blue background.

videoBiology

What would it mean if we were able to ‘speak’ with whales?

65 minutes

Photo of a vibrant snack bar with colourful signs advertising beer, pizza, sausages and ice cream.

essayProgress and modernity

The explosion of choice

It’s only in recent history that freedom has come to mean having a huge array of choices in life. Did we take a wrong turn?

Sophia Rosenfeld

A person in blue jeans and black jacket resting in an alcove in an old red brick wall.

essaySleep and dreams

What sleep is

It is our biggest blind spot, a bizarre experience that befalls us every day, and can’t be explained by our need for rest

Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

A field of dry grass cluttered with computer company signboards.

essayKnowledge

Holes in the web

Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too

Deepak Varuvel Dennison

Two women sitting in a car, one is wearing glasses and a headscarf, the other has short hair and red sunglasses.

videoGender

In an act of resistance, Elahe forgoes a hijab at a family party

27 minutes

Photo of a man in a colourful patterned shirt lying in water looking upwards with a focused expression.

videoArt

Finding the spirit of Haiti through a tour of its contemporary art

20 minutes

An automotive factory interior with a car body on an overhead conveyor, surrounded by industrial machinery.

essayEconomic history

Towards good globalisation

How do some countries manage to channel foreign capital into economic development while others are just exploited by it?

Guilherme Klein Martins

Photo of ancient stone ruins with large boulders on top surrounded by trees under a blue sky with clouds.

videoHistory

The dry-stacked stones of Zimbabwe are a medieval engineering wonder

7 minutes

Illustration of a person in a wheelchair drawing at a desk, surrounded by swirling dark and light patterns.

essayBiography and memoir

Kabul in my heart

When the Taliban captured my city, thousands fled and the rest were severely repressed. But I’ve stayed – and survived

Maryam Mahjoba & Asad Nariman

A man with a bird tattoo outlined over an older tattoo of SS insignia on his shaved head, in a tattoo parlour with orange walls.

videoTechnology and the self

Inside a tattoo parlour where hateful images are covered for free

11 minutes

A person reading an open book with a blue scarf and hands resting on the pages in a calm setting.

essayPhilosophy of religion

Revolutionary tolerance

In an age of ferocious religious bloodletting, Sebastian Castellio argued that everyone seems like a heretic to someone else

Michael W Bruening

Gold metalwork art piece with an owl motif surrounded by decorative discs on a dark background.

videoWar and peace

The extraordinary craft and fascinating symbolism of a pre-Incan ceremonial shield

3 minutes

A farmer in a hat ploughing a muddy field with a horse in a scenic hilly landscape under cloudy sky.

essayDemography and migration

The world needs peasants

Far from being a relic of the past, peasants are vital to feeding the world. They need to be supported, not marginalised

Maryam Aslany

A man in a white suit and bowtie standing in front of the Mark Twain Riverboat entrance by a river on a sunny day.

videoTravel

Retracing Mark Twain’s path, a filmmaker sets out to understand the mighty Mississippi

28 minutes

Black and white photo of a group of men in matching shirts at a “Male Couples Circle of Hope” event with balloons and snacks.

essayHuman rights and justice

Sometimes democracy works

Same-sex marriage is an astonishing case of progress propelled by democracy, in the face of public spite and misinformation

Michael Fuerstein

A Buddhist temple with a golden, intricately decorated roof amid modern skyscrapers under a partly cloudy sky.

essayEconomics

Divine dividends

In China, companies that are closer to temples are more generous to shareholders: religion subtly shapes economic behaviour

Zhangxin (Frank) Liu

Photo of a middle-aged man climbing a red ladder on a tall brick industrial chimney with a cityscape in the background.

videoWork

Like a cheery Sisyphus, Fred dismantles an industrial chimney one brick at a time

12 minutes

Photo of a person sitting in a boat on a river surrounded by lush green jungle under a cloudy sky.

videoKnowledge

A Kichwa activist on ayahuasca’s rise – and what it really means to her people

15 minutes

Photo of a smiling boy with short hair outdoors, viewed through a digital camera frame. Background shows a fence and greenery.

videoChildhood and adolescence

A neglected Dominican sugar town, as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old local

11 minutes

A video camera reflected in sunglasses with a scenic view of water and hills in the background.

videoGlobal history

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, a young couple discovers a strange, newly open world

18 minutes

An arid landscape with rocky ground, sparse green shrubs and distant hills under a cloudy sky.

essayProgress and modernity

The shadow of prosperity

A shrub meant to end hunger now chokes Kenya’s farmlands. It’s a parable of how visions of progress can outgrow their promises

Samuel F Derbyshire

A large, colourful mural on a building, depicting people, with two individuals walking by on the pavement.

essayChildhood and adolescence

Society needs hope

Youths around the world are in a profound crisis of despair. Adults must help them to believe that the future will be better

Carol Graham

Silhouette of a bird on a branch against a golden sunset sky.

essayAnimals and humans

Life thrums with music

Listen to the boundless sounds of nature, the great animal orchestra, whose songs imbue the world with fresh meaning

Jay Griffiths

Illustration of a robotic nanodevice navigating in a blood vessel with red and white blood cells.

essayFuture of technology

Techno-pipe dreams

Thirty years ago, nanotech was about to change everything. Let’s not get tricked again by Silicon Valley’s magical thinking

Philip Ball