History & Society

History & Society

Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.

Two men sitting in an orange jail cell.
Simple "nudges" to remind people to show up for court could help keep thousands out of jail.
The region of Catalonia has been at odds with greater Spain for over 300 years. The prospect of autonomy remains a distant and fading dream.
A statue of justice holding scales on a blue background.
Is true equality achievable — or even desirable? Go on a journey through the strange and unsettling "Land of Justice."
John Templeton Foundation
Three Egginton men are shown in front of a blue background.
A new book envisions an encounter of minds between the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, the physicist Werner Heisenberg, and the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
A scientifically-inspired painting of animals in a cave.
Art isn't a side note in human history; it's the main text.
A triangular logo on a white background.
Being a good leader requires emotional capital, which is one reason why many bosses are so bad at it.
Horseshoe bend, arizona.
In the 1960s, politicians and bureaucrats were formulating the Central Arizona Project. Citizens fought back.
An old black and white photo of a room full of beds.
Sixty years later, will anybody have heard of COVID?
Six authors, six monumental legacies, and a unique thread connecting them: a solitary novel that shines brightly.
A painting of Nero sitting on a throne with a loyal dog.
Nero’s reputation as one of the most malevolent emperors in Roman history might be partly slander.
The biocentric earth floats amongst cosmic creatures in space.
Life in the supremely vast cosmos is incredibly rare. We need a new vision for our living planet and for ourselves.
A monochromatic image of a serpent on a dark backdrop.
If you see life as only a source of suffering and misery, why bring anyone else into that? This belief, called anti-natalism, is on the rise.
A happy woman rewilding onsite, surrounded by baskets.
"The more I unleash myself from the tethers of domestication, the happier I feel."
A Japanese painting portraying a bushido woman wielding a sword.
According to bushido, your life is of secondary importance to key virtues, like honor, loyalty, and justice.
antennae galaxies NGC 4038 4039
The Universe isn't just expanding, the expansion is also accelerating. If that's true, how will the Milky Way and Andromeda eventually merge?
A Copernican-inspired map of the world showcasing a central globe.
Despite the vast number of planets in the Universe, Earth's specific evolutionary history guarantees that its life forms — including humans — are utterly unique.