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How the South Reinstated Slavery After the Civil War
Slavery didn't end when the Union won the Civil War. It ended when federal law was clarified and enforced in the early to mid-1900s.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How to Tell Real Skepticism from Lunacy
Skeptics make sure their beliefs are well-supported. That means embracing doubt instead of claiming to be without out.
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Christopher Gerlacher
An Exploration of Hope, Death, and Sanity
Dostoyevsky's The Idiot brings some of the most interesting existential conversations to life.
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Christopher Gerlacher
What Makes Even Experts Make Poor Judgments
Noise is the kind of information that diverts people from making their best decisions. It can also be harder to fix than bias.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Here are Some Concrete Ways to Think More Clearly
Philosopher Daniel Dennett has practical and concrete examples for thinking more clearly and catching bad arguments in real time.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How Women Quietly Power the White Nationalist Movement
Women play a crucial role in the white nationalist movement. One journalist embedded with them to learn how they were recruited and how one woman…
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Christopher Gerlacher
Are You a Bittersweet Person? How to Know If You See the World This Way
Susan Cain's book, Bittersweet, explores a sensitive personality type that finds great beauty in deep sadness.
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Christopher Gerlacher
America Isn't Headed Towards a Civil War. Here's How That Could Change.
It takes more than political polarization to spark a civil war. Barbara Walter explains what makes a civil wars likely across cultures.
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Christopher Gerlacher
What the Story of Bitcoin Tells us About Politicians Today
Even after moving into the mainstream, some of the same politics behind Bitcoin's founding motivate its supporters today.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Voltaire’s Critiques of Superstition Still Hold Up
Voltaire’s wit and fierce criticism of dogma make him a timeless guide for anyone seeking truth in a sea of misinformation.
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Christopher Gerlacher
How to Create Things that Get Stronger from Stress
Some systems can be undone by a single disaster, while others get stronger from stress-testing and adversity.
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Christopher Gerlacher
Why Hispanic Voters are Gravitating Toward Donald Trump
Hispanic conservatives used to be a minority, but Geraldo Cadava's book shows how Hispanic Republicans became such a large part of the American…
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Christopher Gerlacher
© 2025 Christopher Gerlacher
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