How a Healthy Society Falls Apart
Stefan Zweig's account is almost too strange to believe—but forces us to ask if it could happen again
Culture
The Honest Broker.
Ted Gioia on music, literature, and the business of culture.
Recent essays
30 of 68The Last 24 Hours Are the Opening Scene in a Horror Movie
Eight different insiders have issued warnings—and you need to hear them out
Amazon is Polluted
And I'm not talking about a river in South America
YouTube Videos I’m Recommending Right Now
Here’s a big batch of 14 recent videos. These are keepers.
Wendell Berry’s Nine Rules
I pay tribute to this poet and gadfly, who left us yesterday at age 92, with an article from the archive
10 Brutally Honest Predictions on the Future of AI
Forget the hype—here’s what will really happen
The 3 Bad Types of Humanities Professor
And how to improve cultural education in the current moment
How Our Leisure Time Got Monetized
It wasn’t always like this
The Best Gospel Music Happening Right Now
You don’t need to join the congregation to enjoy these spirited tracks
Stanford's Secret Course on How to Rule the World
And its link to the scandal surrounding Bill Gates’s daughter
How to Make a Marriage Proposal
At least here's how I did it
What Are Your Favorite New Movies, Music, Books, and TV Series?
I'm seeking recommendations from the brain trust (that means you)
Reese Witherspoon and Me
Will I join her on the red carpet some day?
Great New Music I'm Recommending Right Now
Ten recent albums of outstanding merit
Is a Multibillion-Dollar Company Smarter than a 6th Grader?
And other dispatches from the culture wars
How to Lose $35 Billion with Philosophy
We've come a long way from Plato and Aristotle
How I Became the Honest Broker
I share my origin story
Mark Zuckerberg's Empire Is Now Crumbling
Has any company in history made more bad decisions?
The 50 Essential Western Films (Part 2)
In this installment, I cover the period from 1955 through 1968
My Gripe with LeBron James
Am I the only person who feels this way?
Predictions on the Future of Netflix (and Other Huge Platforms)
I dig more deeply into the collapse of audience capture
What Do You Have to Hide?
A conversation with Lowry Pressly on why we need privacy as part of the good life
The Collapse at Netflix Signals the End of Audience Capture
The most popular strategy in the tech world has stopped working. That's good news for all of us.
Talking About My Generation
What do I think about Boomers? Do you really want to know?
The 10 Greatest Failures of Orson Welles
Sometimes misses are as important as hits
12 YouTube Videos I'm Enjoying Right Now
Today I cover everything from fashion tips to career advice—and also lots of good music
What You Won't Learn About the Odyssey from a Movie
Christopher Nolan's film version makes its debut in London today
What Is My American Identity, Really?
And who gets to decide it?
Healing Sounds Are the Medical Miracle of the 21st Century
It sounds like sci-fi, but it's all coming true.
I Get Such Amazing Emails from Readers
Here are some of them.