Good Riddance to the Roman Empire
Maybe Rome needed to disintegrate before the West could grow wealthy.
Books
'Jane Jacobs Goals Through Robert Moses Tactics'
Community planners don't have all the answers.
When Border Defense Becomes Border Offense
Militarized borders and military intervention are two sides of the same coin.
How Truth Became a Casualty of the War on Smoking
Different types of nicotine consumption pose different amounts of risk.
An Incomplete Map of Uberland
In its eagerness to make the case against Uber, a new book makes a pretty good case for Uber.
The Myth of the 'Opium War'
The vast majority of opium users in China were not the desperate addicts portrayed by proponents of prohibition.
The Creek Nation and the Culture of Consent
Under threat from the United States, Creek people replaced consent with coercion. Then they lost everything.
Free Speech Under Fire
A new book tries and fails to make a case against freedom of expression.
Blood, Delusions, and Corruption in the American West
"This country is now full of men and women with long-term personal experience of contemporary guerrilla insurrection."
Bitcoin at 10
A new book aims to chronicle the digital currency's ideological origins.
What If Man Is a Killer Ape Beset by Original Sin?
A new book probes the roots of humans' destructive impulses.
The Horror of War and the Thrill of Horror
A new book explores the First World War's role in creating the horror genre.
Our Big Brains Are Pre-Wired for Love, Friendship, Cooperation, and Learning
A new book offers an answer to the nature/nurture debate.
How Biased Are We, Really?
A new book offers a tour of the modern study of race and racism.
Lives Ruined for Petty Crimes
A new book explores how America's criminal justice system heaps debts on those who can't possibly pay.
When the Cops Come for You in the Target Parking Lot
A mom reflects on her experience parenting in the age of fear.
Jurassic Regulation
A new book reaches the right conclusions on telecom policy but suffers from anti-market myopia.
The Problem With Nudging People to Happiness
Cass Sunstein's latest book puts a lot of faith in the efficacy of government to structure our choices.
Return of the Reefer-Crazed Killer
"The black tide of psychosis and the red tide of violence are rising together on a green wave."
The Case Against the Case for Federal Land Management
A new book throws red meat to "public land advocates," but its arguments leave a lot to be desired.
No, Sex Wasn't Better for Women Under Socialism
It's hard to get in the mood when you're sharing a bedroom with your mother-in-law.
The Government Can't—and Won't—Give Meaning to Your Life
A conservative technocrat tries to engineer a better world.
Why Do So Many Modern Jobs Seem Pointless?
An investigation into why people are working more without accomplishing more
Trouble in Paradise
Naomi Klein misses the meaning of "the miracles Puerto Ricans have been quietly pulling off while their government fails them."
Wrestling With Old Hickory's Ghost
A conservative re-evaluation of President Andrew Jackson
Immigration Won't Spark a Civil War
Central planning doesn't work. The labor market is no exception.
The Wild Rise of Lyndon LaRouche
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
Who Controls Your Cortex?
Michael Pollan's new book portrays Timothy Leary as a reckless self-promoter, but Leary asked the right questions about psychedelics.
Do Partisans Hate Each Other More Than Ever?
Scholars try to explain today's political warfare.
Myers-Briggs Is Bunk
Why doesn't that stop people from taking the enduringly popular personality test?
A Flyby Analysis of Flyover Country
Two Atlantic writers tour America in a tiny plane and manage to miss nearly everything that really matters.
People Without Nations, Nations Without People
The future of the Westphalian system is full of unanswered questions.
Vietnam and the Rise of White Power
A new book ties racist reactionary politics to the war, but overreaches when it comes to militias.
The Democracy Theorist in the Age of Trump
Saving liberal democracy one platitude at a time
Can Bitcoin Become the Global Monetary Standard?
With its supply permanently capped at 21 million units, Satoshi Nakamoto's invention may turn out to be the best form of money ever conceived.
1972: The Year That Made 2018 Seem Sane
Richard Nixon's battle with Timothy Leary puts today's culture wars to shame.
The Insanely Eventful Life of Grateful Dead Lyricist John Perry Barlow
A posthumous memoir from a mutant genius
When the Political Became the Personal, Gay Rights Triumphed
How prosperity, AIDS, and pop culture changed people's minds
Russians and Reactionaries
The on-again, off-again flirtation between Mother Russia and the deplorables of Europe
