Books

The Supreme Court chamber in Washington, D.C., where rulings on campaign finance and political speech have shaped the power of political spending in the United States.
Books

Reflections on the Effect of Excessive Private Power

About the book Private Power and Democracy's Decline: How to Make Capitalism Support Democracy, by Mordecai Kurz, published by MIT Press in 2026.

By
Mordecai Kurz
17 Min Read
Are We All Nationalists Now? 
A public ceremony in Latvia where participants carry national flags and white flowers, illustrating the rituals through which nationhood is symbolically reproduced in public life.
Books
17 Min Read
Slow Violence: Rethinking Schools as Democratic Institutions
School in USA
Books
12 Min Read
The Honesty Crises We Are Confronting Today
Pieter van Mol, Diogenes with His Lantern Looking for an Honest Man, 17th century. Jacqui Safra Collection. Public domain.
Books
15 Min Read
Democracy and the Art of Rhetoric
Pericles addresses the Athenian assembly from the Pnyx, delivering the funeral oration Thucydides renders as the definitive statement of Athenian democratic self-understanding — the speech Smith gestures toward when he names Pericles among history's masters of persuasion. Philipp Foltz, Pericles' Funeral Oration (Perikles hält die Leichenrede), 1852. Public domain.
Books
10 Min Read
Queer Making: What Does It Feel Like to Make a Work of Art?
Queer_Christ and Saint John the Evangelist, Swabia, Germany, ca. 1300–1320. Cleveland Museum of Art (Public Domain). Karl Whittington reads the carving of the two figures' clasped hands as a trace of the sculptor's own touch.
Books
16 Min Read
Epistemic Ecology: Thinking for Ourselves Together
Epistemic ecology_'Dispute of Queen Christina Vasa and René Descartes', 1884. Even the philosopher who modeled solitary reasoning spent years answering Queen Christina of Sweden's questions before arriving at her court. His more consequential correspondent, though, was Elisabeth of Bohemia: her 58 letters with Descartes (1643-49) forced him to confront the central weakness in his mind-body dualism. Painting by Nils Forsberg (1842-1934), after Pierre-Louis Dumesnil the Younger (1698-1781)
Books
16 Min Read
How Emotions Shape Climate Action: Barriers and Agency
Emotions: Climate activists march through central London, calling for climate justice and stronger action on the climate emergency. Photo: Alisdare Hickson (CC BY-SA).
BooksEnvironment & Sustainability
19 Min Read
How Institutional Cooperation Enables Intelligence Competition
Cybersecurity analysis of network traffic. Intelligence operations in cyberspace rely on detecting, exploiting, and managing vulnerabilities within complex digital systems.
Books
14 Min Read
Presidential Conspiracy Mongers
Presidential Conspiracy Mongers
Books
16 Min Read
Community Gardens and the Substantive Turn in Nonreligion
Community garden beds as sites of shared cultivation and ecological interdependence.
Books
17 Min Read
The Politics of Sanctuary and Immigrant Rights
26 Federal Plaza, New York City, site of ICE check ins and immigration court hearings central to grassroots sanctuary accompaniment during the first Trump administration.
Books
19 Min Read
Religion in International Politics: Power and Influence
Faith and Power: World Leaders in Prayer – A Moment of Reflection in International Politics. President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, Former President George H. W. Bush, Mrs. Barbara Bush, Former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton, bow their heads during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
BooksPolitics & Religion
19 Min Read
On the Religious Politics of American Borders
BooksPolitics & Religion
17 Min Read
Phenomenology of Race : Identity, Relationality, and Racism
Maxine Waters, a prominent American politician, is known for her unwavering defense of civil rights and her fight against racial injustice. Throughout her career, Waters has been a steadfast advocate for marginalized communities, focusing on issues that affect people of color. Her efforts have highlighted the systemic inequalities and challenges faced by these communities. Waters’ role in the U.S. Congress has been instrumental in pushing forward legislation aimed at closing the race gap in economic opportunities, education, and healthcare. Her dedication to the cause serves as an inspiring reminder of the importance of perseverance and commitment in the ongoing struggle for racial equality.
BooksAnalysis & Theories
13 Min Read
Christian Globalism: Bridging Distant Ties
Christian Globalism: Vintage letters, handwritten notes, and old photographs arranged beside a world map on a wooden desk, evoking historical global correspondence and Christian sponsorship networks.
BooksPolitics & Religion
11 Min Read
Introducing Civil Society to China
Members of civil society rally under the banner of Friends of Nature, one of China’s pioneering environmental NGOs, promoting awareness and action for ecological protection.
Books
16 Min Read
Secular Sensibilities amidst French and Québécois Politics
Poster Advocating Bodily Autonomy and Solidarity in a secular context. Outremont, Québec, Canada. Photographed on May 20, 2019. Crédit: A Disappearing Act (CC BY-SA).
BooksPolitics & Religion
19 Min Read
5 Must-Read Books on Artificial Intelligence and Ethics  
Artificial intelligence book covers
Books
9 Min Read
Microhistories and the African Past
Microhistories of Africa: Statues at the Slave Market Memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, commemorating the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Photo by Son of Groucho (CC BY).
BooksPolitical History
16 Min Read
Understanding Social Structures: Relationships, Representations, and Rules
Books
16 Min Read
Hope in Hate Crime Laws? Lessons from India
Hate crime: Dalit students and activists gather under the statue of B. R. Ambedkar during a protest demanding justice for Rohith Vemula and caste-based violence victims. Their banners call for the enactment of a “Rohith Act” to address systemic discrimination. Photo by Joe Athialy (CC BY-NC-SA).
BooksHuman Rights
17 Min Read
What are conditions of violence ?
Children waiting behind barbed wire — an image of vulnerability shaped by broader social and political conditions of violence.
BooksPolitical History
15 Min Read
Understanding the Causes of War: Human Nature and History
A stark glimpse into the trenches of World War I, epitomizing the brutal realities of conflict. This image underscores the enduring 'causes of war'—territorial disputes, political rivalries, and the human propensity for domination.
BooksPolitical History
14 Min Read
Can Robots Love? Ethics at the Boundaries of the Human
An intimate moment between human and machine, questioning the boundaries of love and morality in a world increasingly defined by technology and artificial intelligence.
BooksTechnology
13 Min Read
The Religious Turn in Great Power Politics
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow stand side by side during a public ceremony, exemplifying the strategic use of religious authority to reinforce national identity and geopolitical legitimacy.
BooksPolitics & Religion
10 Min Read
How Democracy, Media and Gender Equality Shape Abortion Views
A coat hanger, symbol of unsafe abortion, held during a reproductive rights protest in Washington, D.C.
Books
16 Min Read
Black Women and the Making of Human Rights
A Black woman holds a banner listing victims of police violence during a protest in the United States. Her mask features the faces of Black individuals killed by police, including George Floyd.
BooksHuman Rights
17 Min Read
Why Illiberalism Explains Changes in Today’s Social Order
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a leading figure of the “illiberal democracy” model, shakes hands with Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s Vox party, known for its nationalist, anti-immigration, and illiberalism (CC0).
BooksDemocracy & Authoritarianism
14 Min Read
Show More

Laureate Picks