In 1974, when I was a graduate student in anthropology at Columbia University, I wanted to organize a discussion of universals with people whose ideas I wished to know more about than I thought I could get from their writings. At the time, I was working for Margaret Mead as...

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama is a symbolic gesture to youth all over the developing world who have a new hero, our symbol.

Here is an example. In 2007, with support from the National Science Foundation and Department of Defense, I researched attitudes related...

Last week, leading reformists in Iran appeared in Tehran's Revolutionary Court sporting gray pyjamas and plastic slippers. They were unshaven, had clearly lost weight, and seemed dazed. According to Human Rights Watch, many if not all of the defendants were subject to harsh and violent interrogation techniques. Of course, the...

"Why, madam, do...

I'm an atheist liberal academic who strongly leans Democrat. But I'm stunned at how blind so many of my colleagues and soul mates are to the historical underpinnings of American political culture and the genuine appeal of religious conservatism for so many of our fellow citizens.

Recent economic studies (most...

A senior political adviser to John McCain said in an interview with Fortune magazine that a new terrorist attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." He also indicated that the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto helped McCain win the Republican primary by highlighting national...