The hottest Social theory Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

Bet On It Book Club: For a New Liberty, Chapter 6

Bet On It ā€¢ 60 implied HN points ā€¢ 13 Mar 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Personal liberty should be broad: people should be allowed extreme speech (even libelous or slanderous claims), full drug legalization is preferred to criminalization or forced treatment, and warrantless wiretapping of innocent people is a criminal violation.
  2. Many policies usually labeled 'right-wing' are really civil-liberty issues: government control of the airwaves, bans on tobacco advertising, and gun-control laws can unjustly restrict speech and the rights of peaceful, law-abiding people.
  3. Treating orders to commit crimes as making someone an accessory matters a great deal: if leaders who direct or incite harmful actions arenā€™t held as accessories, then incitement and conspiracy canā€™t be shrugged off as mere speech.

I Care a Lot What People Think

Richard Hanania's Newsletter ā€¢ 1950 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Whether you're seen as virtuous depends on which audiences you're trying to impress; you care more about opinions from people you respect.
  2. Who criticizes you shapes your feelingsā€”criticism from someone you admire makes you hurt and rethink yourself, while criticism from someone you dislike can feel entertaining or irrelevant.
  3. Feedback matters most when it comes from people you find honest, competent, and trustworthy, and their disapproval can lead you to change your behavior.

Bet On It Book Club: For a New Liberty, Chapter 5

Bet On It ā€¢ 115 implied HN points ā€¢ 06 Mar 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Involuntary servitude is unacceptable. Many state practicesā€”like the draft, strict military rules, taxation, subpoenas, jury duty, and psychiatric commitmentā€”function as forms of forced labor or control over peopleā€™s bodies.
  2. The stateā€™s coercive powers should be curtailed through legal changes. Ideas include abolishing subpoenas in favor of trials in absentia and treating income taxation as a form of forced labor that merits radical abolition or privatization.
  3. Self-ownership means people should be free to quit jobs or service, facing only moral, financial, or reputational consequences rather than physical coercion. Government-created privileges for unions distort the market, so removing those privileges is preferable to adding more regulation.

On Priesthoods

Astral Codex Ten ā€¢ 35170 implied HN points ā€¢ 08 Jan 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Priesthoods are groups of knowledgeable people that help in truth-seeking. They balance individual insights and societal ideas to find better answers to questions.
  2. These groups often keep a distance from the public to maintain their expert status. They worry that mixing with public ideas can lower their standards and credibility.
  3. While priesthoods have good functions, they can also fall prey to biased views and political influences, which can make their recommendations less reliable over time.

Virtue will always be irritating

Philosophy bear ā€¢ 543 implied HN points ā€¢ 04 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Virtue-driven movements are often irritating and can cause real harm, yet they also point to genuine injustices that need fixing.
  2. These movements tend to attract socially blunt, traumatised, youthful, or opportunistic people, and social media amplifies their worst traits through brevity, mass dunking, and lack of mercy.
  3. Despite mistakes and excesses, rejecting a movement just because it annoys you is wrong; real progress usually emerges over time from group-level debate, even though individuals can suffer without trust and fair processes.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Structural Amnesia

Anima Mundi ā€¢ 82 implied HN points ā€¢ 27 Feb 26
šŸŽ­ļø Culture Social theory
  1. Communities use "structural amnesia" ā€” they deliberately forget people and events that no longer matter so the past serves present social needs and keeps groups coherent.
  2. This selective forgetting is not just an oral-society quirk but a basic requirement of all civilizations, because pruning the past lets social arrangements adapt and function.
  3. If technology prevents forgetting and preserves everything, the past can freeze social life, creating rigidity, unresolved conflicts, and dysfunction unless new mechanisms for forgetting or forgiveness are found.

The Quest for Authenticity

Theory Matters ā€¢ 1 implied HN point ā€¢ 24 Mar 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Winning consent in democracies depends more on appearing authentic and connected to ordinary people than on ideology or policy alone.
  2. Crises like 9/11 and 2008, together with social media and new technologies, shifted politics away from managerial competence toward viral presence and intensified distrust of elites.
  3. Real authenticity is about sincere, community-rooted values rather than isolated individualism, and without it democracies risk polarization and the rise of dangerous but seemingly authentic leaders.

Bet On It Book Club: For a New Liberty, Chapter 3

Bet On It ā€¢ 115 implied HN points ā€¢ 20 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. The state often does thingsā€”taking money without consent, forcing people to serve, or waging mass violenceā€”that would be crimes if done by private individuals, and those acts should be judged by the same moral standard.
  2. Democratic approval or majority rule does not make rights violations right; popular support doesnā€™t legitimize theft, slavery, or murder.
  3. Rulers lean on intellectuals and ideology to normalize their power, and many modern policies reflect stubborn dogma and waste rather than simple exploitation.

Inverted Darwinism

Anima Mundi ā€¢ 123 implied HN points ā€¢ 13 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. You can have everything society says you should want and still feel hollow or like youā€™re disappearing.
  2. As survival becomes easier, the psychological structures that evolved to give life meaning under scarcity stop working, causing a kind of "meaningā€‘extinction."
  3. That emptiness isnā€™t just personal failure or clinical illness but an evolutionary mismatch, so simple fixes like gratitude often donā€™t resolve it.

*Unbeatable* Round-Up

Bet On It ā€¢ 196 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. A wide-ranging, original case that free markets deserve stronger defense and often produce better outcomes than government alternatives.
  2. Many popular government policies sound appealing but often do real harm, and most market failures trace back to human irrationality rather than fundamental flaws in markets.
  3. The argument confronts mainstream assumptions and offers bold policy challengesā€”like revisiting Friedman's abolition ideas and accounting for social-desirability biasā€”to persuade unconvinced skeptics.

Roots of Generational Depression

Unstable Orbits ā€¢ 67 implied HN points ā€¢ 31 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Indefinite optimismā€”hoping for a better future without a concrete planā€”leads to caution, indecision, and emotional drain as people hedge and avoid commitments.
  2. The pervasive uncertainty undercuts politics and social life and is more damaging than any specific ideology because it quietly saps energy while beliefs can still be noticed and changed.
  3. The remedy is to find and commit to a clear, ongoing vision and actively shape the future instead of oscillating between hope and fear.

There are four ways of changing the world

Philosophy bear ā€¢ 85 implied HN points ā€¢ 03 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. There are four basic ways people change the world: by helping or blocking others (facilitation/anti-facilitation), by discovering or creating, by organizing and leading groups, and by doing a single attentionā€‘grabbing act (exemplification).
  2. Everyday roles map onto these types: parents or assassins can facilitate or antiā€‘facilitate, scientists and artists discover or create, politicians and organizers change things through groups, and athletes or martyrs exemplify change by their acts.
  3. Some cases blur or fall outside the categoriesā€”accidents, butterflyā€‘effect stories, and mixed actions can be trickyā€”but the taxonomy is meant to capture legible, attributable forms of worldā€‘changing influence.

The end of politics

Philosophy bear ā€¢ 128 implied HN points ā€¢ 18 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Human political life has swung between small egalitarian coalitions and large hierarchical states, then moved toward mass democracy, and now faces a radical fourth shift where superintelligence could make traditional politics obsolete.
  2. How superintelligence is distributed matters: if itā€™s widely available many core political and economic institutions (labour, representation, markets, propaganda) would collapse into nearā€‘instant direct coordination, but if itā€™s controlled by powerful AIs or a tiny elite human politics becomes irrelevant because power is exercised without democratic mediation.
  3. The immediate political priority is shaping who builds and controls AGI and what values it carries ā€” protecting broad human power, preventing permanent lockā€‘ins, and embedding compassion and democracy; if control proves impossible, stopping or delaying AGI becomes the urgent task.

The Enclosure of the Human Psyche

The Convivial Society ā€¢ 3751 implied HN points ā€¢ 27 Nov 24
šŸŽ­ļø Culture Social theory
  1. We need to protect our minds from being controlled by technology. Just like how land was taken away from the public, our thoughts and feelings can also be captured and managed by companies.
  2. Our smartphones feel personal, but they constantly collect information about us. It creates a sense that our devices know our thoughts when they only analyze our data.
  3. Silence and quiet time are essential for our mental health. When technology distracts us, it steals our chance to think deeply and connect with others.

The Amoralists

KERFUFFLE ā€¢ 89 implied HN points ā€¢ 12 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Rulers can replace costly military occupation by creating a moral or religious system that makes people willingly obey, so subjects see submission as divinely right rather than coerced.
  2. When power is perceived as legitimate, control depends more on ideas and beliefs than on force, so political battles shift from armies to priests, philosophers, and demagogues.
  3. Legitimacy makes rule self-sustaining and expansionary because converted subjects will defend and spread the order, but it also makes power vulnerable to ideological attacks and requires continual intellectual work to maintain.

Epistemic Privilege

Fake NoĆ»s ā€¢ 277 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Nov 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. The idea of 'epistemic privilege' says we should accept testimony from marginalized people about their oppression because they have special access to their own experiences, but treating this as a categorical or novel rule is questionable.
  2. Epistemic judgments are being framed as moral and political judgments, so doubting certain testimonies gets labeled an injustice and turned into a marker of factional loyalty rather than a neutral inquiry.
  3. Politicizing who to believe encourages partisan conformity and biased thinking, which undermines honest truth-seeking and makes solving social problems harder while enabling signaling by ideologues.

The Divergence Machine

Breaking Smart ā€¢ 101 implied HN points ā€¢ 05 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. The divergence machine is a historical logic that spawns expanding, mutually retreating variety and organizes civilizational space beyond the reach of modernityā€™s centralized canonicity. It relies on some effects of modernity but follows its own internal mechanics rather than simply opposing modernity.
  2. Periodizing history as overlapping "world machines" helps explain long-term change: each machine is built, operates, and declines over centuries, so multiple machines coexist and create the tensions we see today. Accelerating forces like AI may shorten the lifespan and temporal dynamics of future machines.
  3. The methodological approach is to filter readings into late modern, postmodern, metamodern, or divergent categories and then test promising items for plurality, generative variety, and new forms of "liveness." Late-modern and postmodern noise should be deprioritized so attention can focus on machinic processes that produce novel, living variety.

Eugenics and Libertarianism

David Friedmanā€™s Substack ā€¢ 233 implied HN points ā€¢ 20 Nov 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Eugenics has lost popularity since the horrors of the Nazi regime, but some practices resembling eugenics still exist today, especially in libertarian circles.
  2. Libertarian ideas about eugenics focus on parents having the choice to select the traits of their children rather than forcing decisions on them, which distinguishes it from historical coercive eugenics.
  3. Compulsory eugenics, which aimed to control reproduction, faced strong opposition from libertarians like Josiah Wedgewood, who argued for individual freedom and the rights of people against such regulations.

Reality is Breaking

Charles Eisenstein ā€¢ 26 implied HN points ā€¢ 16 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. The Epstein files show that elite corruption and long-running cover-ups reach deep into institutions, eroding the moral authority and legitimacy of what we used to call normal.
  2. We are living in a liminal ā€œspace between storiesā€ where old narratives are collapsing and people are vulnerable to quick, dangerous replacements; real change means transforming the conditions and habits of power, not just swapping leaders or exacting revenge.
  3. If accountability and honest truth-telling open the way, suppressed knowledge and regenerative practices ā€” from alternative health and social technologies to indigenous wisdom and ecological systems ā€” could help build a more humane, life-centered civilization, but that requires a new relationship to power.

Chartbook 343 : Polycrisis & the critique of capitalocentrism.

Chartbook ā€¢ 2131 implied HN points ā€¢ 06 Jan 25
šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø U.S. Politics Social theory
  1. The world is facing a lot of big problems at the same time, called a 'polycrisis'. This means we need to think differently about how to solve these issues because they are more complicated than before.
  2. Going back to older theories from the early 20th century might not help us understand today's challenges. We risk missing out on the uniqueness of our current time by focusing too much on these past ideas.
  3. We need to acknowledge that our current situation has the potential for serious crises, like climate change and political tensions. Itā€™s important to stay flexible in our thinking to cope with the uncertainty of the future.

I Have Learned A Few Things

Caitlinā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 2356 implied HN points ā€¢ 07 Dec 24
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Western interventions often lead to terrible consequences, and the people pushing for these actions are usually on the wrong side of history.
  2. Putting profit above everything else hurts our planet and our well-being, leading to a lot of unnecessary suffering, especially in poorer countries.
  3. Learning to trust our own insights and build genuine connections with others can help us see the beauty in life and find true fulfillment.

Chartbook 342 A history of America's medico-industrial complex ... seen from the step-down ward.

Chartbook ā€¢ 1859 implied HN points ā€¢ 29 Dec 24
šŸ„ Health Politics Social theory
  1. In the mid-20th century, hospitals and industrial workplaces were closely linked. Local hospitals supported the working-class community, especially in areas with heavy industrial work.
  2. The decline of industries in the 1980s changed healthcare. Smaller, local hospitals were replaced by larger, publicly funded healthcare facilities, which often led to job insecurity for care workers.
  3. The book highlights the intertwined lives of workers and healthcare, emphasizing how the changing economy impacts family life and the quality of care in hospitals.

Envy and Suspicion

In My Tribe ā€¢ 622 implied HN points ā€¢ 06 Jul 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Envy is a common feeling that can lead to negative emotions like jealousy and resentment. It's important to recognize envy as something harmful that we should manage, not something that should be encouraged.
  2. Suspicion often leads to a negative view of people's motives, making it hard to understand their true intentions. Instead of jumping to conclusions, itā€™s better to be compassionate and see people as whole individuals.
  3. Both envy and suspicion are growing problems in society today. With a focus on resentment and distrust, itā€™s crucial to find ways to overcome these feelings for a healthier community.

Three Diagnoses of Totalitarianism: Kelley, Arendt, and Desmet in Conversation

Who is Robert Malone ā€¢ 12 implied HN points ā€¢ 23 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Ordinary people, not monsters, can become perpetrators when put into certain social and psychological conditions.
  2. Widespread loneliness, atomization, freeā€‘floating anxiety, and lack of meaning create fertile ground for mass formation that suppresses independent thinking and turns people into unquestioning followers.
  3. Preventing totalitarian dynamics requires a multiā€‘level response: cultivate independent thinking and civic institutions, rebuild genuine social bonds and meaning, and protect vocal dissent to break the spell of collective hypnosis.

The Curious Case of Karl Marx's 1859 "Preface"

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 53 implied HN points ā€¢ 10 Jan 26
šŸ’¾ History Social theory
  1. A compact formulation of historical materialism and the baseā€“superstructure idea has proved durable, even though the fuller work it accompanied offered little detailed critique or practical guidance.
  2. That formulation bundles six related claims: a near-millenarian end to old domination, a stage theory of modes of production, a Hegelian sense of historical progress, the idea that ideology reflects material conflict, and the view that relations of production both constrain and must adapt to technological change.
  3. Being a meaningful Marxist means taking one or more of those claims and developing them into rigorous, testable theory with clear implications for knowledge, politics, and human flourishing; without that development the claims remain largely rhetorical.

Cathy reads books: Enlightenment 2.0 review

Sex and the State ā€¢ 23 implied HN points ā€¢ 29 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Humans evolved for small, tight-knit groups and our instinctsā€”like gossip and retaliationā€”work in that context but often fail in large, complex modern societies.
  2. Populism taps into fast, intuitive thinking and simple narratives, which fuels tribalism and violence and is fundamentally at odds with the cooperative complexity needed for civilization.
  3. Liberal democracy depends on slow, deliberate reasoning, so societies should shape environments and policies to make reasoning easier by promoting broad economic growth, reducing K-shaped inequality, and supporting stable family formation.

BOOK PROJECT: History of Economic Thought

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 338 implied HN points ā€¢ 31 Jul 25
šŸ’¾ History Social theory
  1. Markets help people work together and share tasks, making society more productive. This coordination allows for the smooth functioning of economies and helps everyone thrive.
  2. Adam Smith believed that people acting in their self-interest can actually lead to better outcomes for society as a whole. It's important to let individuals make decisions freely while keeping competition in check.
  3. Inequality often comes from politics and social structures rather than economic systems. While poverty is a concern, striving for equal wealth might not be the best solution.

The Psychopathic Perspective

Fake NoĆ»s ā€¢ 418 implied HN points ā€¢ 28 Jun 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Psychopaths lack empathy and see others as tools for their own gain. They cause harm without caring about the pain they inflict.
  2. Social predators are hard to change because they view people as non-player characters in a game. They don't form real connections and thus, therapy usually doesn't work on them.
  3. Itā€™s important to create rules in society that prevent predatory behavior and to avoid interacting with known predators. Reporting their actions is often the best response.

Greatness or Virtue

Fake NoĆ»s ā€¢ 289 implied HN points ā€¢ 21 Jun 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Many people prioritize success over being virtuous, which shows how we often chase fame and wealth instead of moral goodness.
  2. We tend to measure our moral worth by comparing ourselves to those who are worse, rather than aiming for the best examples of virtue.
  3. While personal success is valuable, true moral respect comes from being virtuous, not just successful; it's important to aim for both.

Rethinking Collapse

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger ā€¢ 236 implied HN points ā€¢ 23 Jul 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Collapse doesn't always mean disaster; it can open up new possibilities for more humane living. Instead of seeing it as a loss, we might see it as a chance to rebuild society better.
  2. There are different ways to bring about change: peaceful methods through elections, forceful overthrow, or natural system collapse. Each method carries its own risks and potential benefits.
  3. The idea of civilization has often been romanticized, but collapsing big structures can allow communities to thrive independently, leading to a simpler, yet more supportive way of life.

The Asymmetry of Destruction

Passing Time ā€¢ 267 implied HN points ā€¢ 29 Jun 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Creating something takes time, teamwork, and skill. It's a careful process that can easily fall apart with just one mistake.
  2. Destroying things is much easier and faster than creating them. Just a small action can ruin a whole system while building it requires collaboration and effort.
  3. In life and politics, it's often harder to prove false claims than to spread them. We need more people focused on building a better future instead of just tearing down what's there.

LECTURE: Roots of How Ownership & Trade Have Made Us Truly Weird: "Property" & "Exchange" as a Coƶrdination Mechanism at Societal Scale

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 192 implied HN points ā€¢ 13 Jul 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. The idea of ownership is really strange. We believe we can own things even when we're not present, which is a unique concept for humans.
  2. Trade and exchange are important for how societies work. They help people specialize in tasks and improve efficiency, leading to greater productivity.
  3. Markets and property rights help coordinate action in society. They distribute resources but don't guarantee fairness, so the rules around them shape who benefits and how much.

Western Life Is Only One Way to Live

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger ā€¢ 145 implied HN points ā€¢ 18 Jul 25
šŸŽ­ļø Culture Social theory
  1. The idea that Western civilization is the only way to live is just a myth. There are many different ways of life that exist across the world.
  2. Capitalism and a rigid social hierarchy are often seen as the inevitable outcome of civilization, but this isn't the only possibility. Many cultures have lived in ways that challenge these norms.
  3. The way people treat each other reflects their culture and values. Non-Western societies often had more egalitarian relationships, emphasizing community support instead of competition and greed.

Beliefs That Sterilize The World with Malcolm Collins

Moral Mayhem Podcast ā€¢ 79 implied HN points ā€¢ 10 Apr 24
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Beliefs can shape how we view and interact with the world. It's important to recognize these beliefs and consider their impact.
  2. Certain beliefs may discourage people from having children, leading to societal challenges. We should think about how our views affect population growth.
  3. Discussing controversial ideas can help us understand different perspectives. Open conversations are key to finding solutions to big issues.

The philosophy of Peter Turchin

Wood From Eden ā€¢ 1296 implied HN points ā€¢ 21 Sep 23
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Peter Turchin studies human populations like animal populations, focusing on carrying capacity and elite overproduction.
  2. Turchin's theory involves cycles of immiseration, unrest, and epidemics in societies.
  3. Turchin's idea of macroevolution and human psychology connects to Jonathan Haidt's analogy of people forming opinions based on emotions.

Social Theory for the Mid-21st Century: Part I. What Do I Ask My Students to Read so That They Will Understand the World of 2055?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality ā€¢ 415 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Nov 24
šŸšŒ Education Social theory
  1. Teaching students about human affairs is essential to prepare them for their future. We need to help them understand how to navigate their lives and the society they'll be part of.
  2. History provides valuable lessons and analogies, but it's important to synthesize these into useful theories. Good theories help us learn from the past and think about the future.
  3. It's necessary to adapt our teaching to current and future realities, rather than relying only on past approaches. Students need knowledge that applies to the world of 2055, not just what was relevant 40 years ago.

Are You a Neganthropologist?

Daniel Pinchbeckā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 11 implied HN points ā€¢ 11 Jan 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Our current tech-driven era is creating massive entropy in both the planet and human minds, but thereā€™s a possible alternative called the Neganthropocene where we redesign systems to regenerate knowledge, care, and the commons.
  2. The pace of digital change prevents society from forming a new, stable epoch, short-circuiting collective memory and social systems and driving regression, polarization, and the risk of authoritarian dynamics.
  3. Technology is a pharmakon ā€” both poison and cure ā€” so we must learn to master and redesign AI and networks to avoid the ā€˜proletarianizationā€™ of human skills and to build contributory economies that foster imagination and collective intelligence.

Can We Disrupt the Age of Disruption?

Daniel Pinchbeckā€™s Newsletter ā€¢ 4 implied HN points ā€¢ 06 Feb 26
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Technology and AI are not neutral; they actively shape human attention, memory, and consciousness and can act as both a poison and a cure.
  2. Right now the harmful side dominates: digital networks and algorithms drive attention collapse, addiction, political manipulation, and the erosion of shared meaning.
  3. The remedy is deliberate transformationā€”building new forms of care, collective knowledge, and social organization to harness technology for renewal instead of entropy.

Am I an anarchist?

The Novelleist ā€¢ 304 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Nov 24
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. Small communities can self-govern effectively, but larger groups may need some form of governance to ensure good behavior among members. This raises questions about whether a decentralized system still counts as anarchist.
  2. People want similar goals across different ideologies, like a more equitable and environmentally conscious society. The focus should be on improving our current systems rather than starting from scratch.
  3. Open borders could change the dynamics of power between countries. If people can easily leave bad governments, those governments might be less likely to wage war or act poorly to keep their citizens.

The assessment of my PhD thesis by the University of Sydney and the way I see our world

Philosophy bear ā€¢ 214 implied HN points ā€¢ 25 Feb 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Social theory
  1. It's better to hold institutions accountable instead of blaming individuals. Institutions can change, while people often stay the same.
  2. Making injustices visible helps society recognize and correct them, encouraging critical reflection on accepted practices.
  3. Everything in life matters, big or small. Caring about small events can deepen our appreciation for the larger, more significant issues we face.