Drowning in Good Intentions
Heroism is a virtue, but how do we keep water rescuers from becoming victims themselves?
Calculating an End to Divisive Politics
Prolific political scientist Steven Brams has been promoting peace and fairness one algorithm at a time.
Brams: Use Approval Voting in Presidential Primaries
Steven J. Brams says approval voting, in which voters can vote for more than one candidate, is a better way to conduct multiple candidate elections.
Brams: Let Congress Select Super Committees
Instead of party leaders selecting members of Congress to form a super committee to hash out problems, Steven J. Brahms suggests full houses of Congress make the picks using the minimax procedure.
Brams: Negotiate Mideast Peace With Point System
When rivals negotiate, Steven J. Brams' suggests using the adjusted winner technique, which gives negotiators 100 points apiece and for them to start the bidding.
Brams: Kick Coin Flips Out of NFL Overtimes
Instead of leaving it up to a coin flip, Steven J. Brams says the NFL should start overtime by giving the ball to the team that wins a bidding war for the kickoff.
How to Keep the Devil From Getting More Than His Due
Historians discover that the devil in the ancient texts is not nearly as frightening as the one who gives us the shakes in movies.
Could More Interracial Marriages Cure Inequality?
On the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision clearing the path for interracial marriage, Richard Korman examines the argument that more intermarriage would create more equality.
Is It Ever OK to Spank My Child?
Academics come to semantic blows over challenging the baby boom orthodoxy that physical punishment for children is always a bad idea.
The Upside of Teen Pregnancy
Usually pictured solely as a scourge, pregnancy for unmarried poor teens may actually have some benefits for the mom.