Sociology

Great piece from Manvir Singh in the New Yorker on how the causes and mechanics of misinformation are often misunderstood. In particular, it covers how the shared belief system that misinformation depends upon requires explicit participation by those that adopt it.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

My friend, Quentin Lewis has put together a fun examination of of how Christmas has been celebrated in the western world – with particular emphasis on how it has been celebrated in the United States and England – over the last few centuries.