The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to perform charitable acts on behalf of an incapacitated loved one, especially when a potential beneficiary offends your own morals.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

David Lynch’s voice is unmistakable — and a national treasure. The world of film deserves more like it.

By M.D. Rodrigues

Singing not only helps allow it to move through the body but it alchemizes what grief can become.

By Lauren DePino

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to help a friend who’s in a volatile marriage.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

The algorithm of entertainment was not built for ancient knowledge extracted from sacred spaces.

By Ross Simonini

Set aside the notion of flawless miracle workers. Focus instead on their exuberance and compassion, inner balance and commitment to a meaningful vocation.

By Jim O’Grady

The superstar comedian and his best friend and collaborator discuss the journey that deepened their friendship.

By David Marchese

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on helping someone with a disability carry out a civic responsibility.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

A boyfriend is uncomfortable with naming a pet after a participant in the Soviet space program.

By John Hodgman

After a lifetime of severe asthma and allergies, this felt different — and far worse.

By Lisa Sanders, M.D.

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the efficacy of voting your conscience.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

This summer’s “Trap,” from M. Night Shyamalan, works hard to turn its fictional star — and her fans — into heroes.

By Robert Rubsam

A standing meeting at the diner has led to new levels in connection and community.

By Stefano Montali

There’s actually room to have fun, and this stunning, simple clafoutis recipe is one to play with.

By Lisa Donovan

Since its passage in 1993, the trade agreement has played an outsize role in presidential elections — which now often hinge on the three Rust Belt states it helped to hollow out.

By Dan Kaufman

Few things symbolize our national dysfunction as much as this accursed coin, which we mint by the millions because it’s too worthless to spend.

By Caity Weaver

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on public pet etiquette.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Brexit and immigration upended their 14-year reign — setting the stage for a pitched battle to remake British conservatism.

By Mark Landler

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the duty one has to mitigate drug-related harm.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Dark comedies like “The Bear” and “Sunny,” provide a contrast to contemporary comedy’s relentlessly upbeat streak.

By Laura Zornosa

The dream of Próspera, founded by a U.S. corporation off the coast of Honduras, was to escape government control. The Honduran government wants it gone.

By Rachel Corbett

A mother’s cure for the blues is transformed into a lively treat.

By Ligaya Mishan

Maybe because we aren’t thinking about it in the right way.

By Matthew Shaer

Go ahead and wear your rubber sandals — even in New York City.

By Casey Michael Henry

The actress talks about learning to protect herself and the hard lessons of early fame.

By Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on heartbreak and friendship splits.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Do we need a word for doing it in reverse?

By John Hodgman

The feminist thinker is celebrated as a prophet of empowerment and self-care. A new biography shows how she saw our future even more keenly.

By J Wortham

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether it’s wrong to participate in a lawsuit you don’t really believe in.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Doing exercises in a book was très terrible. A friend suggested something more radical.

By Rachel Kushner