A civilization confident in itself reads the Iliad. A civilization in decline denounces it. Guess which one we are. A confident civilization does not quake at the sight of Homer. It does not avert its gaze from Pericles or issue trigger warnings before mentioning Caesar. It does not treat the Iliad like some toxic spill […]

Here we go again. Going against the grain is right up my alley, especially when every single person who has ever heard of the word “tennis” disagrees. It happened last week at the US Open, and it had everyone agreeing that Taylor Townsend, a black female American tennis player, had been the victim of a […]

It is now many years since I practiced medicine in an insalubrious part of a British city, but a case in France brought memories of that time. I am not sure that the memories of that time are entirely happy, but they are certainly interesting. The case in question is that of a person so […]

“Mental health is declining,” says psychologist Jonathan Haidt. This week his book, The Anxious Generation, is number one on The New York Times bestseller list. His book has been a bestseller for more than a year. Haidt argues that smartphones and social media have “rewired childhood” and made kids more anxious and depressed. My son […]