25 December 2012

“Fundamental unreasonableness”

Glenn Loury and Harold Pollack deliver a harsh critique of Second Amendment absolutism. Play entire video

When Assad might use chemical weapons

Syria expert Joshua Landis explains. Plus: Why a no-fly zone in Syria ain't happening.   Play entire video

Is the NRA evil?

Or are they a model political lobby? Adam Serwer and Timothy P. Carney debate. Plus: Ending (and renaming) the "gun show loophole."   Play entire video

Are violent movies and video games the problem?

David Corn and Jim Pinkerton debate. Plus: Why an assault weapons ban is not enough.   Play entire video

Could any law have prevented the Newtown tragedy?

Robert Wright and Jacob Sullum debate. Plus: What if there were a massacre every day?   Play entire video

Should we be optimistic about human progress?

John Horgan and George Johnson discuss, with reference to Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Plus: Things bite back.   Play entire video

Why taboos disgust us

Jonathan Phillips and Liane Young discuss the evolutionary roots of social norms. Plus: Does being autistic make it harder to forgive others?   Play entire video

Against bipartisanship

Katherine Mangu-Ward explains why talk of a "grand bargain" has her suspicious. Plus: Are unions worth it?   Play entire video

Rush Limbaugh mixed with Newt Gingrich

Who is Shintaro Ishihara, and why is he running for prime minister of Japan? Yuki Tatsumi tells Isaac Stone Fish.   Play entire video

Taxing bullets

How can Congress reduce gun violence without violating the Second Amendment? Jamelle Bouie and Michael Brendan Dougherty float an unorthodox plan.   Play entire video

Why artwork is expensive and music isn’t

Joshua Knobe and George E. Newman explore why we value original paintings and sculptures over copies, and why we're fine with copying music. Plus: JFK's magical, $750,000 golf clubs.   Play entire video

Is international law prolonging war in Syria?

Rob Farley and Daniel Trombly examine the perverse incentives produced by the International Criminal Court. Plus: Splitting up Syria.   Play entire video

Teaching Dr. Strangelove at war college

What happens when you show Kubrick's 1964 anti-war comedy at a military school? Nick Sarantakes explains. Plus: War movies as recruiting campaigns.   Play entire video

Is FEMA too federal?

Can local communities do a better job at responding to natural disasters? Conor Friedersdorf and Sommer Mathis debate. Plus: The problem of preparing for a disaster.   Play entire video

Why immigration reform won’t save the GOP

Isaac Chotiner and Ramesh Ponnuru explain. Plus: Fiscal cliff craziness.   Play entire video