March / April 2015

Is Islam Violent? The Answer Isn’t as Simple as Many Think

ALLOW ME to describe a familiar course of events. Somewhere in the world, extremists carry out a terrorist attack in the name of Islam. In the days and weeks following, a series of opinion pieces are published either attacking Islam for violence or denying it bears any responsibility. Critics may...

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Features

Up Front

Religious Nationalism

It is hard to believe that the conflicts currently ravaging the Middle East could get much worse, yet the refusal of numerous parties to make substantive compromises on key issues is increasingly likely to lead to...

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Columns

Reviews

Elsewhere in the Humanist:

What a Secular Monument Looks Like

What do war memorials look like and what do they symbolize? What shapes do they take, and whom do they represent? AS PHYSICAL STRUCTURES erected to celebrate armed conflicts, war memorials in the modern era more often commemorate and honor the individuals...

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Elsewhere in the Humanist:

If Social Media Is Making Us Worse, Can We Make It Better?

SOCIAL MEDIA IS BAD. It takes your worst parts—your vanity, your ignorance, your credulity—and makes them even worse. It weakens your ability to focus. It distracts you while you drive. It makes you hate people you should feel unity with and envy...

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Elsewhere in the Humanist:

The Ending Needs Work: Humanists Can Lead on End-of-Life Decisions

Jennifer Ouellette describes herself as a “recovering” English major who stumbled into science writing by accident and has been “exploring her inner geek ever since.” Ouellette often uses pop culture, fantasy, and science fiction as tools to communicate scientific ideas to mainstream...

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Elsewhere in the Humanist:

Natural Disasters & the Humanist Response

LAST FALL THE UNITED STATES and the Caribbean were battered by three devastating, record-breaking hurricanes—Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, Irma in the Caribbean and Florida, and Maria in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. The destructive power of these hurricanes was extreme,...

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