Because reality is weird
When I was fourteen or so, I came across the works of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft in a maze-like used-book shop that my parents used to take me to, and spent many evenings after that lost in discovery of Lovecraft’s…
Ties that separate
Guest post by Abby Plener In 1979, the Iranian Revolution overthrew the the Pahlavi dynasty with remarkable force. Much of its strength derived from the diversity it managed to mobilize: the movement appealed to secular nationalists, middle-class liberals, proclaimed Marxists,…
INSEAD interview with Craig Smith
INSEAD Knowledge, a site that publicizes the thinking produced by the faculty of the number one MBA school in the world (as ranked by Bloomberg BusinessWeek), has posted an abridged version of professor Craig Smith’s article in the launch issue…
Authors of our fates — or just characters?
The philosopher Alain de Botton once argued in a 2009 TED presentation that the meritocratic ideals that are such a point of pride in our modern age have a dark side. In explicitly accepting the idea that people are rewarded…
Throwing money at the problem might work
Whether you lean to the left or to the right, careful planning of the delivery of social services is essential to a country’s development. These programs, large and small, require a strong administrative support system to ensure that services reach…
The iconography of war and terror
In this media and advertising-saturated age, the power of images is hardly a point of debate. At their most banal, they grab our attention to make a sale; at their most elevated, they hold us spellbound in an art gallery….
