How Biased Are We, Really?
A new book offers a tour of the modern study of race and racism.
A new book offers a tour of the modern study of race and racism.
A new book explores how America's criminal justice system heaps debts on those who can't possibly pay.
When Tucker Carlson and Elizabeth Warren agree on trade, regulation, and social media, it's time to rethink a few things.
In his new book, Fall, the author of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and The Diamond Age, looks to the digital afterlife, and beyond.
An impressive achievement that could have been even better. The series had its flaws, but did effectively convey the importance of institutional constraints on political power.
A pair of political scientists think they've identified a new kind of conspiracy thinking. They haven't.
"Game of Thrones" highlights the dangers of pinning our hopes on supposedly admirable political leaders wielding vast, concentrated power. Sadly, modern Americans are almost as susceptible to that error as the misguided characters on the show.
Like Warren, I'm a fan of the Dragon Queen. But Warren overstates the character's virtues and minimizes her flaws - sometimes in ways that reveal shortcomings of Warren's own worldview.
David Friedman’s Legal Systems Very Different from Ours explores the costs and benefits of various legal systems across time.
Harvard Kennedy School Prof. Christopher Robichaud interviews me on this topic for his "This Week in Dystopia" podcast series.
The science fiction writer appealed to traditionalists with tales of far-flung futures.
The imminent start of the final season of Game of Thrones is a good time to consider the series' political message, and reprise some of my work on that subject. Plus, a discussion of the political economy portrayed in George R.R. Martin's recently published prequel to the series.
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
Marvel's first female-fronted superhero film is a woke superhero fantasy scared to take any risks.
Journalists have long been used by governments, wittingly or not, to collect intel and spread disinformation.
A conservative technocrat tries to engineer a better world.
An investigation into why people are working more without accomplishing more
A joyous, energetic Spider-Man remix shows what superhero movies can be.
mine is The Player of Games, by Iain Banks
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.
Kirk, Spock, and Khan have much to teach us about contemporary politics.
It's hard to get in the mood when you're sharing a bedroom with your mother-in-law.
Less creator than editor, pathetic company man, purveyor of childish nonsense? No amount of next-level quasi-sophisticated Stan Lee critique can avoid the proper conclusion: He was the Man.
Marvel's former chief left behind a massive cultural legacy preaching tolerance and personal responsibility.
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
The future 1984 scribe debated pacifism with Dr. Alex Comfort in 1942.
The dull new movie makes for a marked contrast with the delightful new Spider-Man video game.
Shane Black's lackluster entry doesn't understand the appeal of John McTiernan's action classic.
A new book ties racist reactionary politics to the war, but overreaches when it comes to militias.
The 70mm restoration of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece is a reminder of the ways advances in technology can help keep old formats alive.
Reading Zora Neale Hurston's study of the life of the last "black cargo" and watching Westworld
The science fiction maverick helped fill generations of fans with a winning sense of courage and rebellion.
Richard Nixon's battle with Timothy Leary puts today's culture wars to shame.
The on-again, off-again flirtation between Mother Russia and the deplorables of Europe
In honor of Star Wars Day, a roundup of links to my writings and talks on the politics of one of the world's most popular science fiction franchises.
Reason writers debate which fictional dystopia best predicted our current moment.