Politics Literature Arts Ideas

Philosophy & Religion

Anne Enright

Spirited Away

What is the spark that makes a shared God not just real, but so present he talks back to you?

March 11, 2021 issue

John Gray

Is Philosophy an Art?

In Witcraft, Jonathan Rée presents the history of English-language philosophy as a collection of artworks to be appreciated for their aesthetic qualities. But what did philosophers think they were doing?

March 25, 2021 issue

Eamon Duffy

Why Was There a Reformation?

Though Steven Ozment’s The Age of Reform appeared amid a wave of critical thought about the Reformation, it rejected the new histories in favor of polemic.

February 25, 2021 issue

Jim Holt

The Power of Catastrophic Thinking

Should we value human lives in the distant future as much as present ones?

February 25, 2021 issue

Gregory Hays

Tune Out & Lean In

The recent revival of Stoic philosophy has stayed surprisingly true to its ancient roots while gaining popularity among executives and tech-bros.

March 11, 2021 issue

Ulrich Baer

Buber on Nietzsche

That cultural Zionism’s great thinker found inspiration in the German philosopher is testament to the heterodox value of his ideas.

March 15, 2021

Elizabeth Bruenig

Jesus, Mary, and Mary

‘Virgin Whore’ by Emma Maggie Solberg and ‘The Magdalene in the Reformation’ by Margaret Arnold

November 21, 2019 issue

Pamela Druckerman

The Consolations of Philosophy

My philosopher-therapist thought the ancient Greeks could lead me to the happy state of eudaimonia—literally, having good demons. But would mine play along?

December 31, 2020

The Latest

Erica Armstrong Dunbar

A Praise House of Many Mansions

In a book and documentary series, Henry Louis Gates Jr. offers a wide-ranging tour of Black religion in America.

April 29, 2021 issue

Magda Teter

When Poverty Became Profane

Two recent books, by Debra Kaplan and Natan Meir, examine poverty and charity in European Jewish communities, looking at how a marginalized minority dealt with the problems of destitution and social welfare during periods of rapid change.

April 29, 2021 issue

Jamieson Webster

On Breathing

From first moments to last rites, the air around us is not only essential to life but also carries our speech. So being silenced can feel like death.

April 2, 2021

Rich Cohen

The Lure of the White Sands

If I could understand why the desert affects me so profoundly, maybe I’d know the reason for my obsession. Maybe I’d know everything.

March 29, 2021

Richard Finkelstein

Passover in Pictures

Every year, Jews gather for the Seder to celebrate their deliverance from servitude and to answer the question: Why is this night different from all other nights?

March 27, 2021