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Do We Have Free Will or Are We Predetermined?

Adults Society
The question of whether we are fundamentally free or determined in our thoughts and actions has been in the middle of philosophical debate for many centuries. This is our take on the subject.

Why We Don't Really Want to be Nice

Adults Society
Being 'nice' sounds a bit eerie and strange. It shouldn't really.

Is It Better to Be Polite or Frank?

Adults Society
We live in an age that thinks highly of frankness and directness. But there are - nevertheless - a few reasons why politeness remains a hugely important quality.

How We Lie to Ourselves

Adults Society
We are masters at knowing how to lie to ourselves. We pay a heavy price for this self-deception.

Gun Scare At School

Adults Society
It started and was going just like any normal day in high school - until Serena was in English class that is, and things went wrong in a hurry, and in a big way.

I Talked Behind My Best Friend's Back

Adults Society
When Shannon first got to her new school in third grade, she was on her own, lonely, and the other kids seemed to think she was weird - until, finally, she met a great group of girls - five of them - and they all became the best of friends.

Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch

Adults Society
When faced with a bump in the road, sometimes we forget we have a choice: overcome the obstacle or let it overcome you. Steven Claunch, who was born without fingers on his right hand and with one leg shorter than the other and has excelled in basketball nonetheless, explains why obstacles can provide an opportunity to both inspire others and develop character.

Why do Koreans have two different ages?

Adults Society
A Korean baby born on Dec. 31 turns two years old the next day. Here's why.

How do executive orders work? - Christina Greer

Adults Society
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln legally changed the status of over 3 million people from "slave" to "free." But his emancipation proclamation wasn't a law - it was an executive order. The framers of the American Constitution made this power available to the executive branch. But what exactly is this tool, how does it work, and what's the extent of its power? Christina Greer explains.

Intimidated by a College Bully

Adults Society
When you leave middle school and high school behind, you expect that bullying, fear and intimidation are in the past. When you get to college, you expect that people will be open-minded, compassionate and mature. Unfortunately this in not always the case. It certainly wasn't for Omar.

Kids' assumptions toward gender roles are turned around at career day in school.

Adults Society
When a real-life firefighter, surgeon, and fighter pilot drop in on a classroom, these kids have their assumptions about gender roles turned around.

Where do new words come from? - Marcel Danesi

Adults Society
There are over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language. Yet every year, about a thousand new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Where do they come from, and how do they make it into our everyday lives? Marcel Danesi explains how new words enter a language.

You Are Not What You Earn

Adults Society
The modern world firmly equates how much we earn with how good, noble, wise and worthy of honour we are. This is a brutal misunderstanding of how salaries are determined. We need to operate with a far more nuanced view of what the money we earn says about us.

The rise and fall of the Berlin Wall - Konrad H. Jarausch

Adults Society
On August 13, 1961, construction workers began tearing up streets and erecting barriers in Berlin. This night marked the beginning of one of history's most infamous dividing lines: the Berlin Wall. Construction continued for a decade as the wall cut through neighborhoods, separated families, and divided not just Germany, but the world. Konrad H. Jarausch details the history of the Berlin Wall.

How To Forgive

Adults Society
"It can be so hard to forgive because - so often - we simply are in the right and the scale of the folly, thoughtlessness and meanness of others seems utterly beyond our own measure. But there are two inviolable ideas which should nevertheless, in the face of the grossest behaviour, be kept in mind to increase our chances of cutting others a little slack..."

How To Be A Genius

Adults Society
"We hear a lot about genius. We are taught to admire the minds of those infinite, baffling but astonishing geniuses like Einstein, Tolstoy or Picasso. Quite what genius might actually be is left a little vague. It's a codeword for 'brilliant but perhaps too other-worldly ever really to fathom.' We are invited to stand in awe at the achievements of geniuses but also to feel that their thought processes might be quasi-magical and that it is ultimately simply mysterious how they were ever able to come up with the ideas they have had..."

How does the Nobel Peace Prize work? - Adeline Cuvelier and Toril Rokseth

Adults Society
Among the top prestigious awards in the world, the Nobel Peace Prize has honored some of the most celebrated and revered international figures and organizations in history. But how does the nomination process work? And who exactly is eligible? Adeline Cuvelier and Toril Rokseth detail the specifics of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Clowns Helping Refugee Children To Laugh Through Play | Amazing Humans

Adults Society
Ash and his team of clowns, musicians and dancers are 'play specialists' who work with children in refugee camps across Europe. The aim is to allow the kids "to feel good, feel daft, and feel playful".

Is There an Alternative to Political Correctness?

Adults Society
Political correctness aims for some very nice results, but its means have a habit of upsetting a lot of people. Might there be an alternative to it? We think there is, and it's called Politeness.

Can Exes Be Friends?

Adults Society
Partners who break up frequently think that the nicest thing to do is to try to remain good friends. But this nice-sounding gesture frequently brings with it unexpected consequences. It may be better to plot a different course.

How to Recount Your Dreams

Adults Society
We often wake up from a dream with a powerful urge to tell those around us about what happened. But our listeners are also liable to feel restless and bored during our narration of the dream. The issue takes us to the heart of the challenges of communication.