Ideas - The Boston Globe

Us vs. Them and the paradox of education

Political polarization in America is at a fever pitch, and highly educated people on both sides of the spectrum make it worse. Here’s what we can do about it.

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

The case for cozying up to dictators

Engaging with authoritarian leaders doesn’t have to mean endorsing them. And it’s better than isolating them.

If only civilian needs were the priority

Imagine what our nation could do if the trillions of dollars were redirected to productive and creative civilian needs.

The prickly topics of proper English, defining existential, and kids

Referring to climate change as an existential threat could not be more correct.

may i have a word?

May I have a word: Something that’s been under one’s nose all along, and a palindrome for ‘palindrome’
Two challenges yield a plethora of new coinages. Plus: Who can put a name to that thing that makes all parents cringe when they find themselves doing it?

May I have a word: Two challenges, one column!

May I have a word: Streaming-era infidelity

Mementos left at the entrance to Dodger Stadium for Vin Scully. The Hall of Fame broadcaster died Tuesday. He was 94.

IDEAS | BRIAN BERGSTEIN

Vin Scully, master storyteller

He was the voice of some of sports’ most iconic moments, but the real reason we listened was because he elevated the mundane.

Supporters of the measure to remove abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution react to its defeat in Overland Park, Kan.

IDEAS | MARY ZIEGLER

Where the antiabortion movement goes after Kansas

If voters will be reluctant to approve abortion bans, abortion opponents will keep trying to get what they want in federal courts.

Conversations with the experts writing thought provoking Globe Opinion op-eds and Ideas features.

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IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Boston was once a wildly ambitious city. It’s time to go big again.

Soaring housing costs, a broken T, and other existential problems require sweeping fixes that meet the moment.

Explore visionary plans for housing, education, climate, and transit →Bold visions from urban planners, policy experts, and readers →

Editing the Constitution
The Constitution is undergoing massive changes in the Supreme Court. It’s time to put the founding document in the hands of the people.

The Future of Work
The pandemic is still shattering expectations of what workdays look like. In this special issue of Ideas, we explore which of these changes will stick — and how they’ll affect the quality of our lives.

The Future of Food
What we eat, where it comes from, and how we get it are being reimagined like never before.

Massachusetts Works
We turn the typical model of journalism on its head — instead of focusing on what’s broken, we’re taking a look at what Massachusetts gets right.

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