The Briefing 10-06-17

PART I Partisanship comes to late-night: What the turn in comedy tells us about the culture

PART II Dark, anxious, and realistic: Why comedians now want audiences to wince while they laugh

PART III Art as a form of moral subversion: Exhibit about gender aims to upend very idea of gender

PART IV Worldview book recommendation: “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Briefing 10-05-17

PART I After House passes 20-week abortion ban, sanctity of human life could hang by a Senate rule

PART II While upholding sanctity of life with his vote, PA congressman undermines it in personal life

PART III Political hypocrisy on the sanctity of life is not only immoral and humiliating, it’s deadly

The Briefing 10-04-17

PART I How to speak in the aftermath of a massacre, even in a context of controversy

PART II Awkwardness in using the word evil reveals bigger problems

PART III When the Archbishop of Canterbury won’t answer the question, he actually has answered the question

The Briefing 10-03-17

PART I The moral vocabulary of pure evil in the aftermath of Las Vegas

PART II The importance of moral facts, not just moral values, and the reality of evil

PART III Why, in times of trouble, the American people expect their president to quote Scripture

The Briefing 10-02-17

PART I The intersection of natural disaster and political leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria

PART II The looming humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and the ineffectual nature of the United Nations

PART III Achievement and fragility of the nation-state on display as Kurds and Catalans push for independence

The Briefing 09-29-17

PART I A pornographic revolution, Playboy, and the death of Hugh Hefner

PART II The lie at the heart of ‘Banned Books Week’

PART III ‘No problem’ or ‘You’re welcome’? Exploring the link between language and etiquette

PART IV Worldview book recommendation: Wired for Intimacy

The Briefing 09-28-17

PART I What does Roy Moore’s victory mean for the Republican party and the state of American politics?

PART II Why the collapse of morality inevitably leads to the failure of etiquette

PART III As life expectancy for those born with Down syndrome increases, the womb becomes more dangerous

The Briefing 09-27-17

PART I Marriage no longer the default way to form a family in the United States

PART II Why international organizations fail to deliver world peace

PART III What the quest for self-fulfillment in the 1970s bequeathed to America today

PART IV Major American newspapers divide Americans into the dead and the pre-dead

The Briefing 09-26-17

PART I Discussion over whether to arm British police represents not just a policy debate, but a moral one

PART II For one British retailer, labels on kids' clothes are now a vehicle for the sexual revolution

PART III Contrary to predictions, last Saturday was not the end of the world

The Briefing 09-25-17

PART I The collision of politics and professional sports as Trump clashes with NBA and NFL

PART II Merkel elected to fourth term as we witness the dawn of a new political era in Germany

PART III Danger in diplomacy: Is North Korea even a rational actor?