Ideas - The Boston Globe

Teach children about the Holocaust, and tell them the whole story

I learned the terrible truth about what happened to my ancestors when I was a girl. I’m bracing for the same conversation with my young son.

IDEAS | EVAN SELINGER

How real could virtual reality become?

Philosopher David Chalmers argues that computer-generated worlds aren’t any less meaningful than the physical one.

IDEAS | H. LOUISE MESSINGER

I celebrate my transgender son, yet I grieve for his ‘dead name’

Everything that makes my child who they are is still there, except for what I used to call him.

The Muddy River as it emerges beneath Perkins Street from its source in Jamaica Pond.

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

Set the underground rivers free

Once upon a time, cities buried waterways to reduce flooding and make room for cars. Now climate change and other factors are reversing that logic.

A face mask on a statue of Andrew Dickson White, cofounder of Cornell University, on Jan. 14. The university moved final exams online in December, and students will attend classes virtually from Jan. 24 through Feb. 4.

IDEAS | Beth Humberd, Carlo Dallapiccola, Scott Latham, and Adrian Staub

College COVID restrictions have become overkill

For the sake of their mental health, students deserve a path to normalcy.

IDEAS | JULIAN FRIEDLAND

Another thing to worry about

Use of the word “worry” is on the rise. Does that reflect our anxious time — or make it worse?

may i have a word?

May I have a word: When you sense that you may be forgetting something
In search of a word that captures that familiar nagging feeling.

May I have a word: Copyediting the Constitution

May I have a word: Tackling the ‘you plural’ problem

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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 past year has shattered expectations of what workdays look like. Parenting while Zooming. An uncrowded T. Wary interactions with customers. 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. In this special issue, we celebrate the role of food in our communities and explore how it can be tastier, more accessible, and healthier for us and the planet.

Massachusetts Works

In this special section, we’re turning 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. But it’s not all perfect: We also examine areas where Massachusetts can improve.

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

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