The Best Articles in Society
The most useful articles and videos in Society from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Society Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved in Society by Refind users in 2023 so far.
- What Happens When Modern Society Rebrands an Ancient Philosophy?
- 9 astonishing ways that living standards have improved around the world
- Young people are using drugs as escapism more than ever before
- The world has reached 8 billion people — but soon we'll hit a decline we'll never reverse
- Will Millennials ever be able to retire?
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
Shortcuts are killing humanity. It’s time to meet the alternative.
Short-term thinkers take shortcuts. Take the longpath instead, explains futurist Ari Wallach.Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/chan...
The 99% Is a Myth—Here's How It Really Breaks Down
When it comes to the division of wealth, many Americans believe that the country is split between the 1%, which possesses a significant share of the country’...
How to ...?
How to Approach Strangers at A Party
A party at the house of a friend, eleven o’clock, on a still-warm evening. A metre away from you, a group of people are chatting animatedly. Someone is telling an anecdote, it might be something about…
How to Protect Species and Save the Planet—at Once
A major new report calls on humanity to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises simultaneously. Here's what that might look like.
«HUMANITY IS STRUGGLING to contain two compounding crises: skyrocketing global temperatures and plummeting biodiversity. But people tend to tackle each problem on its own»
How to Build Public Spaces for Teen Girls
Teen girls have unique needs and experiences that are often left out of our built environment. Explore three projects across the world as they share how they are transforming public spaces for teen…
How to fight racism using science
Misguided assumptions about race are going mainstream, but hard facts can help you combat entrenched attitudes
Trending
These links are currently making the rounds in Society on Refind.
Civilization States Are Profoundly Illiberal
The notion that they can follow their own standards overlooks the need for universally accepted norms to sustain world order.
We’ve Lost the Plot
Our constant need for entertainment has blurred the line between fiction and reality—on television, in American politics, and in our everyday lives.
«“The propagandist’s purpose,” Aldous Huxley observed, “is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.”»
Bonhoeffer's "theory of stupidity": We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones
Bonhoeffer's "theory of stupidity" posits that we have more to fear from stupidity than evil. The latter is easier to defeat than the former.
«onhoeffer’s argument is that the more someone becomes part of the establishment, the less an individual they become»
The Body at Work: Why Self-Control is the #1 Rule of the 21st-Century Economy
The first time I recognized that my body should be controlled was when I was eleven or twelve years old. Thanks to some particularly nasty asthma medication, my body was already well on the “after”…
How the Modern World Makes Us Mentally Ill
We publish articles around emotional education: calm, fulfilment, perspective and self-awareness. | How the Modern World Makes Us Mentally Ill — Read now
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles in Society—all under 10 minutes.
Will Millennials ever be able to retire?
Millennials lag other generations at saving for retirement, and with entitlements faltering, there are worries they won't be able to retire.
Who Gets to Be Mentally Ill?
Today, people talk about seeing a therapist like they’re going to the dentist. But our compassion around mental health still excludes the people who need it most
«In mental health discourse, there is a strong underlying message that mental health is one’s own responsibility (self-care, expensive therapy, psychiatric intervention, and so on) and that mental unwellness—including mental illness—is something to be overcome, followed by a return to productivity within a capitalist world.»
Young people are using drugs as escapism more than ever before
A new report suggests the kids aren't alright.
9 astonishing ways that living standards have improved around the world
Despite the constant stream of bad news we see in the media, the reality is that living standards have improved dramatically across time.
Stories, standards, and the point
What’s a car for? Transportation. With reliability. Status. A transaction with the bank. A transaction with the dealer. Your relationship with the neighbors. A statement about your style and …
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles in Society.
The world has reached 8 billion people — but soon we'll hit a decline we'll never reverse
This week, the world's population ticks over a historic milestone. But in the next century, society will be reshaped dramatically — and soon we'll hit a decline we'll never reverse.
Is Everything Falling Apart?
Jonathan Haidt thinks so. I’m not so sure.
«Still, looking around today, I don’t see quite as much bleakness as Haidt seems to see. And one reason, I think, is that I don’t see the causes of our current troubles as being quite as novel as he does. We’ve been here before, and humankind survived.»
On nonconformism, or why we need to be seen and not herded
It is enormously empowering – even intoxicating – to lose yourself to a crowd. That is why we need contrarians
What Happens When Modern Society Rebrands an Ancient Philosophy?
Everyone from Silicon Valley billionaires to self-help enthusiasts is repurposing Stoicism for our modern age, with results that are good, bad, and highly indifferent.
«Things like “wake up early,” “go for a walk,” “journal,” “eat well,” “read,” and “get active” are good pieces of advice, but surely not specifically Stoic behaviors. »
1313 Was a Strange Year…
The global 14th-century map would be unrecognizable to the eyes of today. Empires and states were thriving in Africa and Asia, while the so-called “Old Continent” was of much lesser significance.
Thought Leaders
We monitor hundreds of thought leaders, influencers, and newsletters in Society, including:
zeynep tufekci
Complex systems, wicked problems. Society, technology, science and more. @Columbia professor. @NYTimes columnist. My newsletter @insight http://www.theinsight.org

Ida Bae Wells
Reporter @nytmag//Creator #1619Project//EP #1619Hulu//Co-founder @IBWellsSociety //Founder @c4jdhowardu //Knight Chair @howardu//

danah boyd
sociotechnical researcher | Microsoft Research, Georgetown, Data & Society | zephoria@zephoria.org | (@zephoria@mastodon.social) | https://zephoria.substack.com

Ibram X. Kendi
Partner • #GirlDad • Scholar • BU Prof • Dir @AntiracismCtr • @NationalBook Award Winner • #1 NYT Bestselling Author • MacArthur Fellow • Surviving Cancer 🐍
World Economic Forum
The international organization for public private cooperation.
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Society, including:
Big Think
Learn from the world’s greatest thinkers. Join us on https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink.
Scott Galloway
Product of big government @ucla @ucberkeley | Prof Marketing @NYUStern | Right of Center-Left | #ProfGPod @PivotPod | Strategy Sprint http://section4.com
Pew Research Internet
Nonpartisan, non-advocacy @pewresearch data about technology and the internet
MIT Technology Review
Our in-depth reporting on innovation reveals and explains what’s really happening now to help you know what’s coming next. http://technologyreview.com/newsletters
n+1
n+1 is a print and digital magazine of literature, culture, and politics.
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We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Which sources does Refind monitor in Society?
We monitor hundreds of sources in Society, including Big Think, Scott Galloway, Pew Research Internet, MIT Technology Review, n+1, and many more.
Who are the thought leaders in Society?
We follow dozens of thought leaders in Society, including zeynep tufekci, Ida Bae Wells, danah boyd, Ibram X. Kendi, World Economic Forum.
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