Humans are hardly the ‘rational actors’ social scientists pretend they are. With COVID-19 cases rising again, epidemiologist Joshua Epstein proposes another model.
Although the Union defeated the Confederacy, the Civil War did not eliminate the Confederate worldview. The oligarchic ideology grew and spread to the American West.
Anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly sought the perfection of the traditional family, at the expense of reality itself, by fighting against the Equal Rights Amendment.
It is comforting to imagine we are making steady progress in combating racism. But it’s also misleading: we have done far too little in the last fifty years.
James Baldwin’s ‘The Fire Next Time’ reveals the destructive tendency of white Americans—and white American Christians most of all—to avoid self-scrutiny.
Defending racist and violent policing as the result of individual “bad apples” doesn’t just obscure larger systemic problems. It hinders the pursuit of justice.
Pentecost readings can lead to easy, watered-down homiletics about unity amid diverse peoples. In response to the killing of George Floyd, the church must do more.
By all means, we should listen to scientists and take data into account in our coronavirus response. But our leaders also need to exercise the virtue of prudence.
Attorney General William Barr is a disgrace, subordinating the impartiality and professionalism of the Justice Department to President Trump’s political needs.
This year, global carbon emissions could drop 8 percent, the largest reduction since 2008. But with Trump in office, don’t count on permanent improvement.
A desert locust infestation now threatens the food security of East Africa, a region that was already contending with intense drought, floods, heavy rains, and war.
William Barr claims that Michael Flynn was the victim of ‘overzealous law enforcement.’ A close examination of recent legal history shows that isn’t so.
Dorothy Day is well-known for her ‘paradoxical’ nature, which resists political characterization. A new biography also contextualizes her life, filling in the gaps.
We are and always will be vulnerable in some ways. But this does not excuse the short-sighted policy decisions that unnecessarily increased our fragility.
COVID-19 has profoundly affected our daily lives. Catch up with some of Commonweal’s best writing on the political and spiritual ramifications of the virus.
Facing the challenges and dangers posed by the pandemic, one cannot simply rely on or blame those in authority. Good government now matters more than ever.
While flawed, the 1619 Project is a first step toward disenthralling ourselves from an imagined past of America as history’s designated instrument of liberation.
Besides the federal government, Catholic Charities is the country’s largest social-safety-net provider. It’s now facilitating access to food and mental health care.
Catholic hospitals are already underfunded. With COVID-19 cases rising, they face an ethical dilemma: how to distribute limited resources in favor of the poor.
Joe Biden has adopted Elizabeth Warren’s bankruptcy plan, reversing his 2005 position. But even with it, will he be able to address the underlying causes of debt?
As our shambolic “wartime president” exploits genuine fears to advance his xenophobic agenda, Germany is offering the United States a lesson in liberal democracy.
With so little guaranteeing that the Taliban won’t continue business as usual, there’s reason to worry that life is going to get much worse for Afghans.
The coronavirus crisis will likely demand the kind of collective sacrifice not seen since World War II. It will also challenge how we live together in society.
Joe Biden’s probable nomination is unlikely to satisfy those who want a revolution. But as a string of primaries has shown, they’re not the majority of Democrats.
