The Conversation

Why nobody will ever agree on whether COVID lockdowns were worth it

Written by James D. Long, Associate Professor of Political Science, Co-founder of the Political Economy Forum, Host of "Neither Free Nor Fair?" podcast, University of Washington

Stuffed bears in windows were a common sight during the early 2020 lockdowns.Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

As an increasingly vaccinated world emerges from lockdowns, lots of people are talking about whether the fight against the pandemic was too strong or too weak. Some people argue restrictions did not go far enough; others maintain the...

Biden's Supreme Court commission probably won't sway public opinion

Written by David Ryan Miller, Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Vanderbilt University

Amid strong political pressure to pack the Supreme Court, President Biden formed a commission to study ways to reform the court.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

In late 2020, President Donald Trump nominated conservative jurist Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was quickly confirmed to fill the seat previously held by the late Ruth...

5 ways MacKenzie Scott’s $8.5 billion commitment to social and economic justice is a model for other donors

Written by Elizabeth J. Dale, Associate Professor of Nonprofit Leadership, Seattle University

Graduates of Cal State Fullerton, one of many universities with nonwhite majorities that billionaire MacKenzie Scott is supporting.Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced on June 15, 2021, that she and her husband Dan Jewett had given US$2.7 billion to 286...

Faith still shapes morals and values even after people are 'done' with religion

Written by Philip Schwadel, Professor of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

For many, leaving religion does not mean leaving behind religious morals and values.Jesus Gonzalez/Moment via Getty

Religion forms a moral foundation for billions of people throughout the world.

In a 2019 survey, 44% of Americans – along with 45% of people across 34 nations – said that belief in God is necessary “to be moral and...

Smelling in stereo – the real reason snakes have flicking, forked tongues

Written by Kurt Schwenk, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

Long misunderstood, snake tongues have fascinated naturalists for centuries.reptiles4all/iStock via Getty Images Plus

As dinosaurs lumbered through the humid cycad forests of ancient South America 180 million years ago, primeval lizards scurried, unnoticed, beneath their feet. Perhaps to avoid being trampled by their giant kin, some of these early...

US bishops set collision course with Vatican over plan to press Biden not to take Communion

Written by Steven P. Millies, Associate Professor of Public Theology and Director of The Bernardin Center, Catholic Theological Union

The Vatican has warned U.S. bishops not to deny Communion to President Biden.L'Osservatore Romano/Pool photo via AP

A rift between conservative American bishops and the Vatican could be laid bare on June 16 as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meets amid talk of a growing divide in the church over Pope Francis’ leadership.

During the...

Joe Biden, a father’s love and the legacy of 'daddy issues' among presidents

Written by Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, IUPUI

Joe Biden, right, and his son Beau had a strong relationship until Beau's death in 2015.Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden often talks about the close relationship he had with his father and how this influenced him growing up as “the scrappy kid from Scranton,” Pennsylvania.

Biden was born into wealth, the son of...

What Greek epics taught me about the special relationship between fathers and sons

Written by Joel Christensen, Professor of Classical Studies, Brandeis University

Odysseus reuniting with his father, Laertes.Leemage/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Father’s Day inspires mixed emotions for many of us. Looking at advertisements of happy families could recall difficult memories and broken relationships for some. But for others, the day could invite unbidden nostalgic thoughts of parents who have...

Americans gave a record $471 billion to charity in 2020, amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, job losses and racial justice

Written by Anna Pruitt, Researcher and Managing Editor, Giving USA, IUPUI

Food banks, with help from volunteers, scrambled to meet higher demand.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A flood of donations to support COVID-19 relief and racial justice efforts, coupled with stock market gains, led Americans to give a record US$471 billion to charity in 2020.

The total donated to charity rose 3.8% from the prior year in...

With Ford's electric F-150 pickup, the EV transition shifts into high gear

Written by Brian C. Black, Distinguished Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Penn State

Ford calls its all-electric F-150 Lightning "the truck of the future."Ford, CC BY-ND

When President Joe Biden took Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning pickup for a test drive in Dearborn, Michigan, in May 2021, the event was more than a White House photo op. It marked a new phase in an accelerating shift from gas-powered cars and trucks to...