Robert Wright's Nonzero

How tribalism underpins the current political moment ... Has cosmopolitan London lost its character? ... Why a strong national identity could restore unity in the US ... Andrew: Dems should make economic inequality their centerpiece issue ... How Bob’s Mindful Resistance project confronts tribalistic thinking ...

Ethan’s unusual upbringing as a “Dharma brat” in the Shambala Buddhist tradition ... How a cult classic took on spiritual significance for its fans ... What the film’s iconic line “as you wish” says about idealized love ... How Buddhist teachings are reflected in the film’s treatment of family, friendship and romance ... Ethan’s take on his parent’s spiritual teacher, Chögyam Trungpa, the controversial founder of Shambala Buddhism ...

Tyler’s “ambitious” new book, Quarks to Culture ... "Combogenesis": The reason for everything? ... When subatomic particles make friends ... From protons to evolution ... What came before culture? ... The link between inner peace and world peace ... The possibility of purpose in the universe ...

Why John’s books have never included an author photo ... On the inadequacy of the term ‘nonfiction’ ... The importance of a really good lede ... John’s simple cure for writer’s block ... Why John likes to challenge the reader’s vocabulary ...

How the process of elimination brought Buchananites to Trump ... Why GDP isn’t everything in America-first economics ... Where did non-interventionist Trump go? ... Scott: Without Bannon, there is no White House agenda ... President Trump: Inept, unprepared, but not stupid ...

Lisa’s new book How Emotions are Made ... Can we truly feel an emotion before we can name it? ... Is it true that the !Kung people feel no fear? ... Fear in the body, the brain, and in concept ... Do animals have emotions as we know them? ... Lisa’s advice for young scientists: Keep it empirical ...

Bob: Life was suffering before modernity, too ... John: Mindfulness meditation is morally neutral ... How attribution biases make war possible ... Is the path to enlightenment for everyone? ... Why Bob doubts that pure enlightenment has been achieved ... Morality matters, even inside the Matrix ...

Superstring theory: Just crazy enough to be true? ... Why Einstein disliked quantum physics ... Welcome to the multiverse! ... Could an interventionist god in theory exist? ... Einstein’s determinism and “block time” ... The “stuff” that makes reality real ...

How Ted's Story of Your Life became Arrival ... Experiential and theoretical grounds for determinism ... If the future is set… Why bother? ... The Predictor—an imagined device that will freak you out ... Wormholes and time travel ... Are free will and determinism compatible? ...

Bob’s and Massimo’s complementary new books ... Bob and Massimo give Buddhist and Stoic advice on dealing with regret ... Buddhist and Stoic recipes for reducing anxiety ... Using meditative practices to fight ADD ... Building resilience, maintaining compassion ... The upside of distraction ...