From the website:
Areo is an opinion and analysis digital magazine focused on current affairs — in particular: humanism, reason, science, politics, culture and human rights.
Areo, named after Milton’s speech in defence of freedom of speech, Areopagitica, publishes thoughtful essays from a variety of perspectives compatible with broadly liberal and humanist values. It places particular priority on evidence and reason-centered pieces. Our contributors are intellectually, professionally and ideologically diverse and include liberals, conservatives, socialists, libertarians, atheists and religious believers. As much as possible, Areo aims to avoid polarizing tribalistic stances and prioritizes intellectual balance, charity, honesty and rigor.
We believe in the unfettered freedom to explore, think, and challenge ideas and concepts, and we’re intent on taking part in the conversations that will shape our tomorrow.
People
Helen is the editor of the online Areo Magazine
From the Areo website:
Helen Pluckrose is an exile from the humanities with research interests in late medieval/early modern religious writing by and about women. She is editor-in-chief of Areo. Helen took part in the “grievance studies” probe and her book with James Lindsay, Cynical Theories, looks at the evolution of postmodern thought in scholarship and activism.
Write to Helen at: https://letter.wiki/HELENPLUCKROSE/conversations
Web Properties
Recent Content
Last 50 posts on own channels (YouTube, Podcast, Medium or Website/Blog):
Summer Break
Published on: 21 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Iona Italia
Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation”
Published on: 17 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Ralph Leonard
The Continuing Plight of Women under the Taliban
Published on: 16 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Khadija Khan
Reasons to Be Jubilant
Published on: 15 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Jamie Weir
What’s Possessed Us? “The Story Paradox” by Jonathan Gottschall
Published on: 14 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Dennis James Junk
Guilty Pigs: A Conversation with Katie Barnett and Jeremy Gans
Published on: 13 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Katy Barnett
Ancient Archetypes and Modern Superheroes
Published on: 10 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Stewart Slater
Ricky Gervais and the Manuel Problem
Published on: 9 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Barry Purcell
Meet the New Boss: Same as the Old Boss? The Marcos Return to Power in the Philippines
Published on: 7 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Carlos Miguel del Callar
The Perils of Heterodoxy
Published on: 6 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Adam M Wakeling
The Bedevilments of Sex: Louise Perry’s “The Case against the Sexual Revolution”
Published on: 3 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Ralph Leonard
Global Minority Rule: Why American Anti-Majoritarianism is far from Exceptional
Published on: 2 Jun 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Ben Weinstein
The Philosophical Implications of a Right to Abortion
Published on: 31 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Oliver Waters
The Enlightenment Paradigm: A Response to Yoram Hazony’s “Conservatism: A Rediscovery”
Published on: 31 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Ben Burgis
Bodily Autonomy and Abortion Rights
Published on: 26 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Stewart Slater
Liberalism and Its Critics
Published on: 25 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Yoram Hazony
The 1619 Project: An Oversimplified Explanation
Published on: 23 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Kurt Dershem
House Arrest: The Draconian Lockdowns of Shanghai
Published on: 20 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Mitchell Blatt
Surviving Dave Rubin’s “Don’t Burn This Country”
Published on: 19 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Matt McManus
The Gene’s Eye View of Evolution: An Interview with J. Arvid Ågren
Published on: 19 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Arvid Agren
A Better Way to Save American Democracy
Published on: 11 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Todd Washburn
A Human-Hearted Modernity
Published on: 5 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Lyndon Storey
Time Management for Mortals
Published on: 4 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Oliver Burkeman
Why Becoming a Vegetarian is not the Best Way to Save Animals
Published on: 3 May 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Suhan Kacholia
The Acme of New Hollywood: The Godfather
Published on: 29 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Ralph Leonard
Revolutionising the News
Published on: 28 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Arjun Moorthy
Diverse Viewpoints, One Truth
Published on: 27 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Justin McBrayer
A Series of Unfortunate Misunderstandings: Rafia Zakaria’s “Against White Feminism.”
Published on: 25 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Melissa Knox
The Fame Trap: Gen Z, TikTok and Influencer Culture
Published on: 22 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Joe Gillespie
White People and the Conversation About Race
Published on: 21 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by John Wood, Jr.
Direct Cash Aid to Palestinians Would Be a Win-Win
Published on: 20 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Timothy DeLizza
Why Covid Did Not Spell the End of Globalisation
Published on: 19 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Maarten Boudry
The Flipside of Intersectionality: Heinrich Heine and the Platen Affair
Published on: 15 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Robert Seidel
Leading by Example: A Quiet but Effective Form of Activism
Published on: 14 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Jamie Paul
Nuclear Power Plants in Wartime
Published on: 12 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Chaitanya Ravi
Is Postmodernism Neo-Marxist?
Published on: 11 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Matt McManus
The Curious Case of a Scholar Who Didn’t Exist
Published on: 8 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Scott Newman
Open-Mindedness
Published on: 7 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Jacob Nazroo
Psychotherapy: Gaps in Our Knowledge
Published on: 6 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Tomasz Witkowski
Aleksandr Dugin and the Perils of Postmodern Ethnonationalism
Published on: 5 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Oliver Waters
Misunderstanding the History of US-Philippine Relations
Published on: 4 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Carlos Miguel del Callar
Putin and the Authoritarian Tradition
Published on: 2 Apr 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Stewart Slater
The Progressive Case for NATO
Published on: 29 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Sam Hudson
Ukraine: Why Aren’t We Talking about the UN?
Published on: 25 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Simon Prentis
In Defence of Liberal Education: Roosevelt Montás’ “Rescuing Socrates”
Published on: 23 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Daniel James Sharp
Putin’s London People: Dirty Russian Money in the UK
Published on: 22 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Sonny Loughran
Sympathy for the Devil
Published on: 18 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Stewart Slater
The First Freedom: Free Speech: A History by Jacob Mchangama
Published on: 17 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Daniel James Sharp
Practical Politics: Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht’s Bigger Than Bernie
Published on: 14 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Matt McManus
One Book to Rule Them All: The Enduring Popularity of The Lord of the Rings
Published on: 11 Mar 22 in Areo Magazine – Website
by Adam M Wakeling
Dear Friends, Readers and Listeners, Areo Magazine and the Two for Tea podcast are on a summer break. We’ll be back on 21 September 2022. We will still be accepting non-timely…
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The idea of decolonisation has been a fad in western discourse for the past few years. Of course, when one thinks of decolonisation, the national liberation movements that engulfed Africa…
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A decree to ban women from employment, bar them from entering educational institutions, incarcerate them in their homes—and impose the burqa on those who venture beyond their walls: this horrifying,…
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On 2 June, I travelled down to London to attend one of those unusual events that somehow manage to be at once an embodiment of the stereotypical idea of what…
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Many movies feature characters with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. But when researchers combed through all the psychiatric records from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for…
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In this episode of our Two for Tea podcast, editor-in-chief Iona Italia talks to Katie Barnett and Jeremy Gans about their new book, Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal…
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Nothing is said that has not been said before.—Terence, Eunuchus. We live in an age of superheroes. In every one of the past five years, with the exception of 2020…
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The only thing more predictable than the transphobic jokes in Ricky Gervais’ new Netflix special, SuperNature, was the criticism they elicited.One problem with SuperNature is that Gervais clearly signposts his…
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The 2022 Philippine general election has been one of the most divisive in the country’s history and attracted perhaps its highest ever voter turnout. This is largely due to the…
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Most of us rely on experts—electricians, plumbers, car mechanics, doctors, dentists—to solve the practical problems that occur in our daily lives: the material world we live in is too complex…
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The legacy of the sexual revolution has been scrutinised, even called into question altogether recently. What was traditionally hailed as a liberation, in particular for women and sexual minorities, that…
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Not long ago, a man was elected to his country’s highest office in circumstances perplexing to many voters. Despite a historically low favourability rating, and a plurality of votes having…
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The US abortion debate has recently been reignited, following a leaked Supreme Court draft decision in which most justices supported overturning Roe v. Wade. The fact that it matters what…
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Introduction by Matt McManus He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able…
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The leaked US Supreme Court draft decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization does not outlaw the practice of abortion, but overturns the finding in Roe v Wade, which…
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Introduction by Matt McManus He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able…
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Casual critics of the 1619 Project usually focus on its basic conceit: the idea that the true founding of the United States occurred when the first African captives arrived in…
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My friend Lu and I were both confined to our apartments to be quarantined on 18 March 2022. I had been infected with coronavirus. Lu hadn’t. I was allowed to…
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January 15th, 2019 was the night I got wasted on a livestream downing shots of Patron. It was also the time I accidentally disclosed my private, personal, email address to…
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In this episode of our Two for Tea podcast, editor-in-chief Iona Italia and deputy editor Daniel Sharp talk to evolutionary biologist Arvid Ågren about the selfish gene theory: its history, strengths,…
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Donald Trump has spent his brief political career assaulting the norms and institutions that sustain American democracy, from his attacks on the judiciary to his ongoing effort to discredit the…
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I’m a supporter of modernity, by which I mean the process, driven by science and reason, of interrogating tradition and building societies focused on well-being, democracy, human rights and individual…
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In this edition of our Two for Tea podcast, I talk to Oliver Burkeman about his new book 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, a work about how our obsession…
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The modern animal rights movement is closely tied to vegetarianism and veganism. For many people, changing one’s diet appears the most natural and sensible way to benefit animals. Often, this…
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By Robert DarbyContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
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By Piers BennContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
By Thomas CortellesiContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
By Helen Pluckrose and James A. LindsayContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
By Brandon WilsonContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
By Ralph LeonardContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
By O.T. FordContinue reading on Areo Magazine »
https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/21/summer-break/ Dear Friends, Readers and Listeners, Areo Magazine and the Two for Tea podcast are on a summer break. We’ll be back on 21 September 2022. We will still be accepting non-timely…View Post
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“The decolonisation movement, as it is presently constituted, will keep Africans trapped in the ‘tower of the past,’ pessimistic about the present and cynical about the prospect of a better future,” argues Ralph Leonard. The idea of decolonisation has been a fad in western discourse for the past few years. Of course, when one thinks of decolonisation, the national liberation
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“The monarchy is not democratic—and perhaps that explains something of its appealing mysticism. However, it is, in practice, an aid to the proper functioning of a democracy. Given the political powerlessness of the head of state, the fetishism for electing the holder of that office is odd. Democratic elections have no guarantee of producing dignified and stately outcomes. Indeed, there
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Our interview with Steven Pinker is out for patrons: Join Areo on Patreon to get access to this post and more benefits.
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“Rather than a sign of cultural malaise, superhero movies are merely the latest meditations on questions that have intrigued us since the dawn of civilisation,” argues Stewart Slater. Nothing is said that has not been said before.—Terence, Eunuchus. We live in an age of superheroes. In every one of the past five years, with the exception of 2020…View Post
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“Though many Filipinos still dread any return to martial law, there’s a prevailing sense that a re-evaluation and reimagining of the political landscape is long overdue, even if it means entertaining an illiberal form of democracy—which they hope will be free from corruption. It’s little wonder that BBM has been successfully able to exploit people’s disenchantment,” writes Carlos Miguel del
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“The advantages of our civilisation come not from experts but from expertise: the collective body of knowledge built up over centuries through institutions with built-in checks and balances designed to compensate for the frailties of individual humans. Experts are often wrong, but the body of expertise is much less likely to be,” argues Adam Wakeling. Most of us rely on
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“In Perry’s universe, women with desires that Perry finds distasteful—such as those involving BDSM— are hardly rational agents, but victims of a false consciousness instilled in them by society’s ruling ideology of sexual liberalism. They are too infantilised to be condemned,” argues Ralph Leonard. The legacy of the sexual revolution has been scrutinised, even called into question altogether recently. What
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“If there is one lesson to be drawn from voting systems around the world, it is that it is very difficult to design a system that represents voters’ preferences, respects regional interests, builds stability and legislates efficiently. Each system has its trade-offs. Countries with democratic systems that are both stable and proportionally representative are rare,” argues Benjamin Weinstein. Not long
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“The debate about abortion rights does not exist in a vacuum. It is inextricably tied to our conversations about infanticide, euthanasia, animal welfare and one day, the moral status of artificial intelligences. We cannot hope to approach moral clarity on any of these topics without a coherent explanation of the psychological properties that underpin the moral status of a given
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Areo’s editor-in-chief, Iona Italia, now has a weekly Substack, a home for her creative non-fiction, memoir, travel writing, poetry and short stories. You can check out the first issue here and subscribe free of charge. (You can find the audio version of this article here.) All my life, I have been accused of having the wrong skin colour. My body’s
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In preparation for their live debate on 7 June, hosted by Areo Magazine, Yoram Hazony and Ben Burgis discuss the merits of liberalism. With an introduction by Matt McManus. Introduction by Matt McManus He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able…View Post
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Introduction by Matt McManus He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able…View Post
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“People’s decisions are clearly influenced by the context in which they live, which can include the continuing effects of past discrimination. But whiteness is not, as it is sometimes portrayed, a pervasive and all-powerful force that effectively determines the fate of its victims,” argues Kurt Dershem. Casual critics of the 1619 Project usually focus on its basic conceit: the idea
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“There is an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and distress at being subjected to an authoritarian government willing to restrict people’s lives and freedoms on a political whim. And, make no mistake, this is about politics, not about preventing the spread of coronavirus,” writes Mitchell Blatt. An account of the Shanghai, China, lockdowns.
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“Dave Rubin’s “political and moral convictions mechanically follow whatever affectations or prejudices dominate the American right—no matter how contradictory,” argues Matt McManus. A review of Dave Rubin’s book Don’t Burn This Country.
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RT @DrAtlasShrugged: Are Academics Cowards? The Grip of Grievance Studies and the Sunk Costs of Academic Pursuit https://areomagazine.com/2018/12/04/are-academics-cowards-the-grip-of-grievance-studies-and-the-sunk-costs-of-academic-pursuit/ via @areomagazine
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RT @Notrealnameher1: https://areomagazine.com/2021/07/14/against-the-new-irish-hate-speech-bill/ via @areomagazine You as a citizen are powerless to check the legislative process in the absence of referendum by popular demand “The moment you limit free speech it’s not free speech” Salman Rushdie https://youtu.be/dqMPyIHdgqc
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RT @Auto_Math: Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @snewman477: Enjoyed chatting with @AreoMagazine’s @IonaItalia about all things #tango (💃💃💃) on this week’s episode of 27 Rouge https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Tm4VtxxM2Op9benblDM9y?si=WP3rU4jdS6mC9w_cBNCUIw
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RT @debarrewinter: On Left and Right Nietzscheanism https://areomagazine.com/2020/08/19/on-left-and-right-nietzscheanism/ via @areomagazine
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RT @FabFormal: Naming the Unnameable: Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and the Defence of Free Speech https://areomagazine.com/2021/05/17/naming-the-unnameable-salman-rushdie-christopher-hitchens-and-the-defence-of-free-speech/ via @areomagazine
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RT @Katanning9: Not All Politics is Identity Politics https://areomagazine.com/2018/06/14/not-all-politics-is-identity-politics/ via @areomagazine
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RT @Laurelhall58: Naming the Unnameable: Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and the Defence of Free Speech https://areomagazine.com/2021/05/17/naming-the-unnameable-salman-rushdie-christopher-hitchens-and-the-defence-of-free-speech/ via @areomagazine
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RT @DrMonicaOsborne: “Words are not violence. Violence is violence.” I wrote a piece about idea this for @AreoMagazine a while back and was attacked viciously by a parent at my son’s former school. But here we are. We Ignored Salman Rushdie’s Warning, by @bariweiss https://www.commonsense.news/p/we-ignored-salman-rushdies-warning?r=71xh0&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
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RT @DJtotheS: My @AreoMagazine piece from last year on Rushdie, Hitchens, and the fatwa. In short: an unstinting, principled, consistent defence of free speech and solidarity with the victims of persecution are necessary. https://areomagazine.com/2021/05/17/naming-the-unnameable-salman-rushdie-christopher-hitchens-and-the-defence-of-free-speech/
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RT @moisesp: Thanks @AreoMagazine for this article! It’s time to question those who promote tolerance towards authoritarian and militaristic regimes, while accusing Modernity of all wrongdoing in the world. Paradoxically, they end up praising Putin and Xi, instead of supporting democracy https://twitter.com/namhenderson/status/1553813468330856448
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RT @izzyaltoe: Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @MomCritical: Very clear thinking and critique: Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @StrangelEdweird: *sigh* This, for @AreoMagazine, is probably—sadly—the most evergreen piece I’ve ever written. Words are *carriers* of meaning and context—not *creators* of it. The meaning and context is up to us, and it can change due to time, culture, and intention. https://areomagazine.com/2020/11/02/words-dont-hurt-ideas-do/
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RT @SwipeWright: 5/ This email exchange also served as the basis for one of James’ essays in @AreoMagazine about academic cowardice and the sunk cost fallacy. ⬇️ https://areomagazine.com/2018/12/04/are-academics-cowards-the-grip-of-grievance-studies-and-the-sunk-costs-of-academic-pursuit/
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RT @AschRonald: #Decolonisation Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @grankabeza: 🎧 @oliverburkeman – Time Management for Mortals | Two for Tea Podcast with @IonaItalia https://m.soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/episode-124-oliver-burkeman-time-management-for-mortals via @AreoMagazine
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RT @iriswasapupil: Das @areomagazine kann man vielleicht im weiteren Sinne zum IDW zählen, allerdings ist es deutlich moderater und sachlicher als andere Medien aus diesem Bereich. Für mich persönlich gibt es kaum ein politisches Magazin, was so oft meine Meinung trifft wie Areo. 1/3 https://twitter.com/ardenthistorian/status/1556269250926493697
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RT @namhenderson: #ICYMI “The decolonial discourse has a reactionary ring to it because of its embrace of nativism…essentialisation of identity and the romantic notions of culture” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @AreoMagazine
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RT @RobertC78726751: “Not All Men” is Not a Fallacy. It is Humanism. https://areomagazine.com/2018/09/16/not-all-men-is-not-a-fallacy-it-is-humanism/ via @areomagazine
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RT @RobertC78726751: Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s “Against Decolonisation” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/17/olufemi-taiwos-against-decolonisation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @RobertC78726751: The Bedevilments of Sex: Louise Perry’s “The Case against the Sexual Revolution” https://areomagazine.com/2022/06/03/the-bedevilments-of-sex-louise-perrys-the-case-against-the-sexual-revolution/ via @areomagazine
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RT @RobertC78726751: The 1619 Project: An Oversimplified Explanation https://areomagazine.com/2022/05/23/the-1619-project-an-oversimplified-explanation/ via @areomagazine
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RT @solo1y: I wrote an article like this once (for @AreoMagazine) but I think I got away with it. https://areomagazine.com/2021/09/08/will-this-article-kill-you/ https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1537500686094565377
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