Reputation Outlasts the Impression
Looking successful and being successful are different projects. The first requires symbols: a title, clothes, an audience, the right photographs. The second requires reaching a goal that may make no…
A theory with an emergency exit
A convincing theory is especially pleasant for a society: it explains everything and leaves little room for doubt. But being able to explain what has already happened does not yet…
Why Families Interfere in the Choice of a Partner
No one can be as much of a stranger as a relative. — An ironic aphorism In 1753 the British Parliament passed Lord Hardwicke’s Act for England and Wales; Scotland…
A Phone Is Not a Safe
Digital culture sells the feeling of a secret space: a hidden folder, a disappearing message, a protected chat. But a secret section inside a phone is still part of the…
Stop First
The culture of heroism demands that in a crisis you act instantly and do not panic. The advice does little for a person who is already panicking; a short procedure…
Free Is Not Cheap
Market culture is good at noticing things with a price tag and worse at noticing things that only become visible once they are gone. Air, trust, language, safety and time…