The Perils and Possibilities of AI President Truman used to joke about how his economic advisors were always telling him, “on the one hand this… but on the other hand that.” What I need, he said, “is a one-handed economist.” It’s a good line. But he knew some issues are too complex, too… Read more: “On the One Hand…”

It’s hard to step out from the crowd or turn around and deliberately march against it. Even in a free society, where the punishments for civil disobedience tend to be fairly mild, the majority go with the flow. It is easy to imagine yourself as an armchair historical figure and believe, “I wouldn’t have gone along with…” slavery, sexual exploitation, witch hunts, etc., but the sad fact remains that people generally accept their society is, “normal,” and even, “good,” no matter what it does.

Why democracy depends on staying out of the gutter On June 14, 2025, elected officials in Minnesota were shot in their homes as they slept. The facts were unclear but that didn’t stop the certainty. Within hours, a familiar pattern emerged: prominent voices on the political right rushed to blame the political left… Read more: Extremism, Not the Left or Right, Is The Problem