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When Things Fall Apart
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When Things Fall Apart

Climate change, political unrest, random violence - Western society can often feel like what the filmmaker Warner Herzog calls, "a thin layer of ice on top of an ocean of chaos and darkness." In the United States, polls indicate that many people believe that law and order is the only thing protecting us from the savagery of our neighbors, that the fundamental nature of humanity is competition and struggle. This idea is often called "veneer theory." But is this idea rooted in historical reality? Is this actually what happens when societies face disasters? Are we always on the cusp of brutality?

When Things Fall Apart

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Buy, Borrow, Steal

Economist Amir Sufi says debt plays a bigger role in recessions than we typically recognize. erhui1979/Getty Images hide caption

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erhui1979/Getty Images

Hidden Brain

Buy, Borrow, Steal

Policymakers have a tried-and-true game plan for jump-starting the economy in times of severe recession: Push stimulus packages and lower interest rates so Americans will borrow and spend. But economist Amir Sufi says the way we traditionally address a recession is deeply flawed. He argues that by encouraging "sugar-rush" solutions, the nation is putting poor and middle-class Americans and the entire economy at even greater risk. This week we look at the role of debt as a hidden driver of recessions, and how we might create a more stable system.

Buy, Borrow, Steal

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Playing Favorites

Hannah Groch-Begley listens to Dylan Matthews play the ukulele at their home in Washington, D.C. Dylan had hesitated to buy the ukulele because it felt like too big of an indulgence. Shankar Vedantam/NPR hide caption

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Shankar Vedantam/NPR

Hidden Brain

Playing Favorites

If we do a favor for someone we know, we think we've done a good deed. What we don't tend to ask is: Who have we harmed by treating this person with more kindness than we show toward others? This week, in the second of our two-part series on moral decision-making, we consider how actions that come from a place of love can lead to a more unjust world.

Playing Favorites

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Coffee Or Tea: In Dickens' World, It Might Be A Choice Between Good And Evil

At Mr. John Chivery's Tea-table. An illustration from Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. Universal History Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Universal History Archive/Getty Images

The Salt

Coffee Or Tea: In Dickens' World, It Might Be A Choice Between Good And Evil

The author of a new book, Dinner with Dickens, has an insightful — though far from scientific — observation: The Victorian writer's good characters prefer tea while dodgier ones lean toward coffee.

Springtime In Iran Means The 'Morality Police' Are Out In Force

Women stroll on a Tehran street. Iranians are bracing themselves for extra scrutiny of their dress and behavior when a new, undercover morality police squad is deployed. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption

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Vahid Salemi/AP

Parallels

Springtime In Iran Means The 'Morality Police' Are Out In Force

As Iranian authorities strengthen the so-called morality police, women are bracing themselves for extra scrutiny of their dress and behavior. Will a new, crowdsourced app help them dodge harassment?

Springtime In Iran Means The 'Morality Police' Are Out In Force

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Egypt's Morality Crackdown Targets Female Dancers

Egyptian singer Suha Mohamed Ali performs in a music video. She was recently sentenced to six months in jail for inciting debauchery. YouTube hide caption

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Parallels

Egypt's Morality Crackdown Targets Female Dancers

Activists say the government has stepped up prosecutions for alleged morality offenses. Hundreds of gay and transgender people have been targeted, and now the campaign has moved on to dancers.

Egypt's Morality Crackdown Targets Female Dancers

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