Conservatives have been impatient with measures like affirmative action since the end of Reconstruction by Marc Stein “People can disagree in good faith on this issue, but it . . . does more harm than good to question the openness and candor of those on either side of the debate.”

The Hobby Lobby Decision: Cultural Divisions Take Center Stage by Alonzo Hamby Hobby Lobby is a skirmish in a cultural conflict likely to divide us far into the foreseeable future while relegating what remains of the economic divisions of the mid-20th century to a sideshow.

The Shocking Silence of Japan’s Mainstream Media After a Man Set Himself on Fire to Protest the Decision to Overturn the Pacifist Postwar Order by Jeff Kingston The symbolism of the man’s defiant act of self-sacrifice was not lost on social media.

Property v. Liberty: The Supreme Court’s Radical Break with Its Historical Treatment of Corporations by Ruth H. Bloch and Naomi R. Lamoreaux The expansive language is at odds with the way the Court has treated corporations historically.

Stephen Breyer majority decision affirms that the Constitution's a living document. Scalia cries foul. by Adam Winkler Justice Breyer’s opinion in the recess appointments case deals a blow to originalism.

Should Germans Read ‘Mein Kampf’? by Peter Ross Range The release of “Mein Kampf” into Germany’s cultural bloodstream is sure to be a sensational moment.

Macro Debates and the Relevance of Intellectual History by Paul Krugman One of the interesting things about the ongoing economic crisis is the way it has demonstrated the importance of historical knowledge.

Why Wars Always End Up Hurting the Most Vulnerable Americans by Peter Beinart The centennial of World War I is a chance to remember naive predictions about how it and other fights would improve society—and the awful abuses those wars actually enabled.

Americans Think Africa Is One Big Wild Animal Reserve by Jonathan Zimmerman Most actual Africans don’t come any closer to wildlife than Westerners do, but it's not what Westerners think.

How Birth Year Influences Political Views by Amanda Cox A new model of presidential voting suggests President Obama’s approval rating will inform not only the 2016 election, but also the election in 2076.