Nineteenth-century grass-roots populism made twentieth-century progressivism possible.

Conservatism cherishes tradition; innovation fetishizes novelty. They tug in different directions, the one toward the past, the other toward the future.

Nineteenth-century grass-roots populism made twentieth-century progressivism possible.

History is a long and endlessly interesting argument, where evidence is everything and storytelling is everything else.

The study of history requires investigation, imagination, empathy, and respect. Reverence just doesnt enter into it.

The world may not be getting better and better, but our devices are getting newer and newer.

Epidemiologists study patterns in order to combat infection. Stories about epidemics follow patterns, too. Stories arent often deadly, but they can be virulent: spreading fast, weakening resistance, wreaking havoc.