but where once it might have launched a cascade of critical essays—each linking to each other, referencing each other, building, as it were, a cultural conversation reckoning with the phenomenon that is Elizabeth Gilbert—the conversation just kind of...collapsed. Sure, there were a lot of takes on Notes and Threads and Bluesky and whatever else has... See more

Somewhere along the way, we decided that the only acceptable form of communication is a main-stage monologue. Virtual validation has become currency, and every thought must hold weight. One version of me has bought into that. It’s compelling, competitive, and best of all, within reach. But another, quieter and better version wonders whether “big... See more

The highest compliment from someone who disagrees with you is not “You were right.” It’s “You made me think.”

Good arguments help us recognize complexity where we once saw simplicity.

The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It’s to promote critical thinking.