Annals of Inquiry
Why So Many People Are Going “No Contact” with Their Parents
A growing movement wants to destigmatize severing ties. Is it a much-needed corrective, or a worrisome change in family relations?
An Economics Lesson from Tolstoy
The Russian novelist believed that the dismal science was inescapably suffused with morality and politics.
How Much of the World Is It Possible to Model?
Mathematical models power our civilization—but they have limits.
The Personal, Political Art of Board-Game Design
What can board games say that other art forms can’t?
The Man Who Invented Fifteen Hundred Necktie Knots
For tie aficionados, knots are an art form—and a surprisingly difficult math problem.
Why Are We So Bad at Getting Better?
Convalescence used to be central to medicine. We don’t talk about it anymore.
Why Dizziness Is Still a Mystery
Balance disorders like vertigo can be devastating for patients—but they’re often invisible to the doctors who treat them.
Searching for a Fortress Built by People Who Escaped Slavery
Its ruins are somewhere in the swamps of Georgia. What will it take to find them?
Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Change Our Minds?
The theory behind C.B.T. rests on an unlikely idea—that we can be rational after all.
The Philosopher Who Believes in Living Things
Jane Bennett argues that the stuff that surrounds us isn’t inert—it has a will of its own.