Reasonably Optimistic

There’s a lot to complain about in the American political system: Congress lurches from deadline to deadline, presidents claim more and more power and each side of the aisle treats the other as an existential threat. So...

A viral debate over bringing iced coffee to a job interview may seem trivial. But it points to a bigger divide over what employers are looking for when college degrees, cover letters and résumés reveal less than they...

Artificial intelligence feels different from previous technological innovations because it can write, reason, analyze and generate ideas. In other words, it can do at least some of the things many white-collar workers...

What do you do when your research leads to a conclusion that challenges conventional wisdom? You can publish it and risk the backlash — or quietly bury the findings and move on to safer work. The Carob Trust Prize, a...

In the decades following World War II, the American right coalesced around fusionism — the idea that individual liberty and limited government could coexist with religious faith and traditional morality. Today, that...

No one likes the idea of being surveilled. That concern is fueling a nationwide backlash against Flock cameras, the automated license plate readers police use to find stolen vehicles, track suspects and locate missing...

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than many expected. So much so that some of the experts who understand it best are sounding the alarm. Are their warnings exaggerated, or are we approaching a point of no...

More than six centuries ago, the Black Death wiped out nearly half of England’s population. Suddenly, workers had more power, wealthy landowners had less, and the old social order began to crack. When the ruling class...

It doesn’t take much to ignite a new wave of alien conspiracy theories on social media. But beyond the internet speculation lies a serious scientific question: If billions of planets could support life, why haven’t we...

Shortly before her mother died, Megan McArdle learned a family secret. Decades earlier, her mother had given birth to a son and placed him for adoption. Megan’s attempt to find the brother she never knew would force her...

AI data centers have become America’s newest political villain — accused of draining local water supplies, overheating communities and sending electricity bills soaring. But some of the most alarming claims about their...

Football season is back, bringing millions of Americans together around one of the country’s most beloved sports. But new research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, raises an uncomfortable question: What...

Why are Americans having fewer children, even though many say they want larger families? Host Megan McArdle talks with author Tim Carney about how professional ambition, personal autonomy and intensive parenting have...

The controversy surrounding Cambridge professor Jason Arday began with questions about his academic record and extraordinary personal story. It ended in tragedy. What can sociology tell us about how a scandal like this...

America is becoming less religious — but the story is more complicated than empty pews. Host Megan McArdle is joined by political scientist and former pastor Ryan Burge to talk about the shifts taking place in America's...