Will fake news affect the New Zealand election? ▶
Is that really a fact staring you in the face? Or is it fake news…an alternative fact? Is it true simply because you want it to be true? Fake news and ‘alternative facts’ invaded Northern Hemisphere politics during the U.S. presidential election and Brexit....
What lies behind the sex trafficking of Yazidi women?
By Rima Shenoy Men can co-exist on the condition that they recognise each other as being all equally, though differently, human – but they can also co-exist by denying each other a comparable degree of humanity and thus establishing a system of subordination. –...
What are the challenges of negotiating trade liberalisation?
By Stephen Hoadley Given the number of free trade agreements that New Zealand has concluded during the past decade, from China to Taiwan to the Pacific Islands to the Middle East, one might suppose negotiating new ones will get easier. Not so, as Steve Hoadley...
Mad world? Exploring the causes of increasing mental illness
By Bruce Cohen Sociologist Bruce Cohen questions the large-scale increase in diagnoses of mental illness. As shocking as it is fascinating, few would disagree that we are facing a global epidemic of mental disease. That’s what the statistics tell us: 450 million...
What are the politics of climate change, energy, and disasters? ▶
With unprecedented global warming, wealth disparities and peak everything, there is no question that we need to act now to meet the power, heating and transportation needs of growing populations, and to do so sustainably, equitably and democratically. What are the...
I, Donald? A classic view of Trump
By Marcus Wilson Marcus Wilson compares the characters of Donald Trump and the Emperor Claudius. How Suetonius would have loved Mr. Trump! As biographer of the Roman emperors, Suetonius had a sharp eye for the matching and mismatching of personal character with the...
Abusing power? The cartoonist in a post-truth world ▶
Image is all-important in politics, and image-making especially so. Politicians are supposed to create their own images, yet very often exploit negative and derogatory imagery in order to get noticed. Hitler deliberately borrowed Charlie Chaplin’s moustache, Margaret...
Q+A: What does ancient history tell us about the nature of humanity?
Simon Holdaway talks to Maria Armoudian about how we’ve changed and how our ancestors have dealt with past disasters and changes in the climate. Simon Holdaway is a Professor in Anthropology and Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of...
Are obesity-reducing policies effective? ▶
Sugar and fat taxes, controlling density of fast food outlets, and mandatory portion sizes are examples of policies that aim to reduce obesity by raising costs. Assume such policies would be effective. While they typically raise ethical questions about whether they...Subscribe by Email
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