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Criminal justice reform is gaining momentum across the country in the hope of turning the page on the era of mass incarceration. But even the best possible laws must be carried out by humans. Implicit racial, religious, and gender biases, confirmation bias, tunnel vision, and myriad other human psychological foibles make objectivity all but impossible. Add to the mix the often unchecked power of prosecutors, and the result is a system rife with profound injustices. But there is hope: The authors of two new books related to our human shortcomings and how we beat them discuss what it would take to build a better justice system. Stick around after the event for a book signing with Emily Bazelon.
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Society
Our national conversation is increasingly defined by deep divisions, worries about the stability of our political system, and even threats of political violence. Yet, in the m...
Love is an emotion and an instinct for sure, but the ability to love is a skill that every young person should be taught, given how important relationships and love are to eve...
American conservatives have traditionally supported a free market domestically, free trade internationally, low taxes, limited regulation, and a limited federal government. To...
Alex Honnold's successful free solo of El Capitan is a remarkable triumph of humankind in collaboration with nature. But let's be careful about what lessons we take away from...
When endeavoring to stay informed about a 2020 campaign landscape that features dozens of candidates, it can be tempting to rely on political polling as a shortcut to news-gat...
The divide between targeted values-based approaches and broad-based efforts remains a fascinating reflection of the tensions inherent in Trump-era women’s organizing.
While all emotions are valid, their usefulness might ultimately come down to how well a person is able to interpret the signals that their feelings provide.
Just how unevenly is “upward mobility” dispersed throughout the country?
Computer systems don’t anticipate all the types of people who might use them. What are the innocuous, and more problematic, consequences of this?
Happiness, says designer Ingrid Fetell Lee, is a broad evaluation of how we feel about our lives over time.
History has made the term "socialism" vague and unproductive, according to linguistics professor John McWhorter. Should it be retired?
The Festival presents a cornucopia of more than 200 sessions over seven days. Since there's no way to pack it all in, we've gathered these don't miss presentations to help you...
Valerie Jarrett shares advice on stepping out of your comfort zone, her favorite memories from inside the White House, and how we can empower women and working families.
Small moments of joy are often the first to go when we're stressed or in a crisis. But they're actually a tool to restore our emotional well-being, says designer Ingrid Fetell...