Explore
Search results
The BBC defines civil society as a public space between the state, the market, and the ordinary household in which people can debate and tackle action. If a healthy civil society relies on two-way communication, America is failing. “We see early signs of decay,” says Marc Rowan, co-founder of the Rowan Family Foundation. He says civil society in the United States is one-of...
In a time of uncertainty, rapid change, and disruption, who is best positioned to move society forward? Many are losing faith not only in government, but in the institutions of journalism, nonprofits, and higher education. What role should these organs of civil society play in today’s fractured world, and how can people of good will come together to best make a difference?...
Countering racism is essential to the formation of a just and equitable society — so how can we fight it?
Whether they are tending to an elderly parent, a disabled partner, an injured child, or an ailing friend, most people are deeply committed to caring for those they love. But surely compassionate public policies, generous employer benefits, access to respite and other supportive services, and strategies to train and reward a caregiving workforce can make that arduous task e...
Race has divided our country since colonization, with some calling slavery America's original sin. The history of the US, from the Civil War to Jim Crow and Black Lives Matter, is defined as conspicuously by racial strife as it is by great achievements. So what does racial progress actually mean in practice? How can political, business, and community leaders confront the t...
Philosophical and religious teachings regarding wealth can feel both archaic and strangely relevant to our age of economic upheaval. How can we reconcile these ideas about wealth — such as renunciation and warnings against attachment — with today’s urgent questions around inequality, the shrinking middle class, and the proper role of philanthropy in a good society?
Have we lost the ability to find common ground? Does national civitas need a reboot?
Trust is democracy’s most valuable asset; we simply can’t work together to solve large problems without it. Yet, trust is at an all-time low. Polling reveals that a majority of Americans do not trust government or the media, and — perhaps more concerning — they do not trust each other. The Aspen Institute’s program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation argues that when it...
Silicon Valley is notoriously a boys’ club, perhaps to society’s detriment. What effects do discrimination and inequality in this sector have on our culture, society, and economy? What happens to technology when the executives, engineers, and designers who produce it are mostly male? Who are our most powerful advocates for diversity in the tech industry, and how are they f...
We don’t trust many institutions these days, but research shows a majority of us do trust our employers — especially when it comes to taking action on societal issues. And the Edelman Trust Barometer asserts that some 71 percent of employees believe it’s critically important for their CEO to respond to challenging times. But deciding whether to engage, and how, is not easy...
You may have heard of Dry January and mocktails, but what is being "sober curious" really about? Sans Bar's Chris Marshall explains the growing movement and shares how he's building inclusive, alcohol-free communities.
Two pro athletes talk about the perils of speaking up for justice in 2020, and what it would take to see progress and create measurable societal change.
The challenges and opportunities of our times require creativity, agility, and purpose — from leaders and from institutions. How are some leaders of society’s most established nongovernmental organizations driving organizational change, and what are the benefits and risks of doing so?
The challenges and opportunities of our times require creativity, agility, and purpose — from leaders and from institutions. How are some leaders of society’s most established nongovernmental organizations driving organizational change, and what are the benefits and risks of doing so?
In our discussions about people’s and society’s most desirable attributes, we use all these vague abstract words, like morality, virtue, and justice. But what does it actually look like to be a good person, in practical terms? Let’s walk through the steps. Author, columnist, and political and cultural commentator David Brooks is your guide.
In Being Nixon, Evan Thomas peels away the layers of the complex, confounding figure who became America’s 37th president. Drawing on a wide range of historical accounts, Thomas reveals the contradictions of a leader whose vision and foresight led him to achieve détente with the Soviet Union and reestablish relations with communist China, but whose underhanded political ta...
For adults, the pressure to drink at social engagements, work events, restaurants or almost anywhere outside the home can feel constant. Recent research has found that “no amount or kind of alcohol is good for your health,” and a wide variety of health problems can be linked to drinking. The growing “sober curious” movement offers people a way to think about cutting down o...
More and more, companies are embracing the concept of corporate purpose as Americans' perceptions of big business have shifted. While declaring a purpose beyond profit is a starting point, how do you actually deliver on it to drive positive change for communities and society?
Trust is fundamental to almost every action, relationship, and transaction in society, but we live in an era when technology is rapidly changing who and how we trust. The trust we used to place in traditional institutions such as governments, banks, media, and charities has hit an all-time low, and trust now flows horizontally through systems and networks that are as likel...
Is a thing of beauty, as Keats wrote, “a joy forever?” Or is it, as in the view of Camus, “unbearable”? The precise nature of beauty and how to understand its role in our lives may prove elusive to most of us, but it is the everyday work of philosophers. Is beauty skin deep? Is it socially and culturally determined and, if so, what are the implications? What power does it...