The Future Is Upon Us

T he race is on between environmental destruction on a global scale and sustainable solutions . T he finish line, in J ared D iamond's alarmed estimation, is only 50 years away . F or B ruce M au, sustainable solutions, already at hand, will win out . D iamond, too, hopes our civilization will learn from those in history who rose to their challenges and prospered, not suffer the fate of others who dithered and collapsed .     

The American Founders Entrusted Elites to Save Democracy from Itself

The word “democracy” does not appear in the US Constitution . Nor in the Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence . That is because, as most Americans today would likely be surprised to discover , America's Founding Fathers not only distrusted democracy but, based on their close reading of Greek and Roman history, were actually hostile to the notion that it was the best system for governing society .     

If You Don't Have Solid Borders,You Get Walls

Anti‐immigrant populists seek to create a familiar space for their own kind in a world of tumult fomented by strangers.     

Renovating Democracy and Salvaging Globalization

The worst fears of the American Founding fathers were realized in the 2016 presidential election when the democratic ballot box unleashed some of the darkest forces in the body politic . While it remains to be seen what his administration accomplishes , Donald Trump showed that a campaign of outright lies and invective against the world outside and perceived enemies within delivered over the latest direct access technology —Twitter—was the path to the top of the world's most powerful nation .