From Butterflies and Wheels, Paula Cerni on the secret of New Age thinking: To judge by the stream of popular texts and movements that mix together self-help and spirituality, we are still living in a New Age; and with what authority does a public philosopher speak? Andrew Taggart on philosophy in the popular imagination: To do philosophy in the public sphere today is to be immediately put on the defensive. Bill Clinton and the Country That Never Was: While most of the world has stopped paying attention to Haiti, he has become the de facto leader of the effort to rebuild the country after the historic earthquake — the problem is, there wasn't much there to begin with. The War Nerd Returns: Be famous or be shot tryin’. In the long term, the Tea Party movement destroys the Republican brand — you can't be a conservative revolutionary. Helpful Explanations: Ryan Broderick on understanding the Gawker v. 4chan thing. Mel Gibson isn't just an angry narcissist: His tirades are the distilled violence, cruelty, and bigotry of right-wing Catholic ideology. From Slate, Jeremy Singer-Vine on what Politico deletes from its articles without telling anyone; and help Jack Shafer find a long-form story to report. From The Nation, a look at the case for Elizabeth Warren to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (and more and more). An interview with Keith Gessen, author of Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager.
