Reasons to Be Jubilant
On 2 June, I travelled down to London to attend one of those unusual events that somehow manage to be at once an embodiment of the stereotypical idea of what…
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Guilty Pigs: A Conversation with Katie Barnett and Jeremy Gans
In this episode of our Two for Tea podcast, editor-in-chief Iona Italia talks to Katie Barnett and Jeremy Gans about their new book, Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal…
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Ancient Archetypes and Modern Superheroes
Nothing is said that has not been said before.—Terence, Eunuchus. We live in an age of superheroes. In every one of the past five years, with the exception of 2020…
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Ricky Gervais and the Manuel Problem
The only thing more predictable than the transphobic jokes in Ricky Gervais’ new Netflix special, SuperNature, was the criticism they elicited.
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The Perils of Heterodoxy
Most of us rely on experts—electricians, plumbers, car mechanics, doctors, dentists—to solve the practical problems that occur in our daily lives: the material world we live in is too complex…
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The Bedevilments of Sex: Louise Perry’s “The Case against the Sexual Revolution”
The legacy of the sexual revolution has been scrutinised, even called into question altogether recently. What was traditionally hailed as a liberation, in particular for women and sexual minorities, that…
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Global Minority Rule: Why American Anti-Majoritarianism is far from Exceptional
Not long ago, a man was elected to his country’s highest office in circumstances perplexing to many voters. Despite a historically low favourability rating, and a plurality of votes having…
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Bodily Autonomy and Abortion Rights
The leaked US Supreme Court draft decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization does not outlaw the practice of abortion, but overturns the finding in Roe v Wade, which…
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The 1619 Project: An Oversimplified Explanation
Casual critics of the 1619 Project usually focus on its basic conceit: the idea that the true founding of the United States occurred when the first African captives arrived in…
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House Arrest: The Draconian Lockdowns of Shanghai
My friend Lu and I were both confined to our apartments to be quarantined on 18 March 2022. I had been infected with coronavirus. Lu hadn’t. I was allowed to…
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The Gene’s Eye View of Evolution: An Interview with J. Arvid Ågren
In this episode of our Two for Tea podcast, editor-in-chief Iona Italia and deputy editor Daniel Sharp talk to evolutionary biologist Arvid Ågren about the selfish gene theory: its history, strengths,…
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A Human-Hearted Modernity
I’m a supporter of modernity, by which I mean the process, driven by science and reason, of interrogating tradition and building societies focused on well-being, democracy, human rights and individual…
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Time Management for Mortals
In this edition of our Two for Tea podcast, I talk to Oliver Burkeman about his new book 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, a work about how our obsession…
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Why Becoming a Vegetarian is not the Best Way to Save Animals
The modern animal rights movement is closely tied to vegetarianism and veganism. For many people, changing one’s diet appears the most natural and sensible way to benefit animals. Often, this…
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The Acme of New Hollywood: The Godfather
The Godfather is one of the greatest films ever put on the big screen. Few films come close in terms of storytelling, technical filmmaking, acting, ambience and drama to this…
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Revolutionising the News
In this episode of our Two for Tea podcast, editor-in-chief Iona Italia talks to news junkie, entrepreneur and free speech aficionado Arjun Moorthy about his venture The Factual, which provides news to…
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Diverse Viewpoints, One Truth
Lots of people are committed to the intellectual value of diversity, especially when it comes to elevating the voices of those in the minority. At the same time, lots of…
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A Series of Unfortunate Misunderstandings: Rafia Zakaria’s “Against White Feminism.”
Rafia Zakaria’s Against White Feminism begins with a story. She has been invited to a “warm and cheerful” Manhattan wine bar, but worries that the women she is with will…
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