Joshua Rothman
Joshua Rothman, a staff writer, joined The New Yorker in 2012. He is the author of the weekly column Open Questions, which explores, from various angles, what it means to be human. Previously, he was the magazine’s ideas editor. He has also been an ideas columnist at the Boston Globe, and he has taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Policy.
Will A.I. Save the News?
Artificial intelligence could hollow out the media business—but it also has the power to enhance journalism.
Are We Taking A.I. Seriously Enough?
There’s no longer any scenario in which A.I. fades into irrelevance. We urgently need voices from outside the industry to help shape its future.
Should You Be Religious?
In “Believe,” the Times columnist Ross Douthat argues that science has strengthened, rather than weakened, the case for faith.
An Academic’s Journey Toward Reporting
I was used to a disembodied way of working: identify a philosophical problem, then study it. What could spending time with a philosopher teach me about his ideas?
Should You Question Everything?
In “Open Socrates,” the philosopher Agnes Callard reminds us how thinking should feel.
How Do You Know When a System Has Failed?
We see broken systems all around us. At least, we think we do.
Why Are We Tormented by the Future?
Caught between competing impulses, we praise living in the moment while obsessing about what’s to come.
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Why Can’t You Just Deal with It?
Often, it’s our most obviously necessary tasks that feel the most impossible.
Why Is Gratitude So Difficult?
When we feel grateful, we’re doing something that’s more complex than it seems.
Why Do We Talk This Way?
Technology is dramatically changing political speech, rewarding quantity and variety over the neat messages of the past.
Could Steampunk Save Us?
A goofy-seeming sci-fi subgenre holds useful lessons about managing technology in an accelerating age.
Do They Really Believe That Stuff?
According to a new book, America’s political derangement has psychological roots.
Will A.I. Save the News?
Artificial intelligence could hollow out the media business—but it also has the power to enhance journalism.
Are We Taking A.I. Seriously Enough?
There’s no longer any scenario in which A.I. fades into irrelevance. We urgently need voices from outside the industry to help shape its future.
Should You Be Religious?
In “Believe,” the Times columnist Ross Douthat argues that science has strengthened, rather than weakened, the case for faith.
An Academic’s Journey Toward Reporting
I was used to a disembodied way of working: identify a philosophical problem, then study it. What could spending time with a philosopher teach me about his ideas?
Should You Question Everything?
In “Open Socrates,” the philosopher Agnes Callard reminds us how thinking should feel.
How Do You Know When a System Has Failed?
We see broken systems all around us. At least, we think we do.
Why Are We Tormented by the Future?
Caught between competing impulses, we praise living in the moment while obsessing about what’s to come.
Why Can’t You Just Deal with It?
Often, it’s our most obviously necessary tasks that feel the most impossible.
Why Is Gratitude So Difficult?
When we feel grateful, we’re doing something that’s more complex than it seems.
Why Do We Talk This Way?
Technology is dramatically changing political speech, rewarding quantity and variety over the neat messages of the past.
Could Steampunk Save Us?
A goofy-seeming sci-fi subgenre holds useful lessons about managing technology in an accelerating age.
Do They Really Believe That Stuff?
According to a new book, America’s political derangement has psychological roots.