Goin’ to This One

With Steve of the Jacuzzi and Harry the Beer Man, in Helena, Arkansas.

The Spirit of History

Hegel’s search for the universal patterns of history revealed a paradox: freedom is coming into being, but is never guaranteed.

A Nature Writer for the Anthropocene

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane gives readers new ways to experience the richness and strangeness of a damaged world.

Putting the Political Back in Politically Correct

Everyone is mad. Is anyone right?

William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll

From Bob Dylan to David Bowie to The Beatles, the legendary Beat writer’s influence reached beyond literature into music in surprising ways.

The Worst Patients in the World

Americans are hypochondriacs. No wonder the U.S. leads the world in health spending.

Yes You Do

Do you consume a credit card’s worth of plastic every week?