Cognoscenti

Cognoscenti Ideas and opinions presented by WBUR, Boston’s NPR® News Station. We want to foster robust conversations about issues that matter, and we want you to take part.

Here you will find world-renowned experts in their respective fields, great writers and deep thinkers, as well as fresh new voices — young emerging talent that will provoke, delight and surprise you. You will find commentary on everything from global politics to personal musings, from innovations in technology to the latest trends in child-rearing. So join the discussion. Weigh in. Tell us what you think. Engage our commentators and each other. But remember, please be civil.

"Trump and his congressional enablers are weak — far more vulnerable than they want you to believe. Voters handed them t...
04/10/2025

"Trump and his congressional enablers are weak — far more vulnerable than they want you to believe. Voters handed them to the power to act, and they have abused that power," writes Steve Almond.

Unlike in March, when Democrats caved to keep the government open, this time around they are holding the line, betting that voters will reward them for showing some backbone, writes Steve Almond. Good on them.

"These days as I come to terms with my mild midlife crisis, I am trying to make time for activities that have existentia...
04/10/2025

"These days as I come to terms with my mild midlife crisis, I am trying to make time for activities that have existential value and fit in my busy life — reading, writing, taking walks, the occasional attempt at contemplation. There is space, it turns out, for more than I thought."

Jonathan D. Fitzgerald is not having a midlife crisis. At least, that's what he thought — then he read MIT philosophy professor Kieran Setiya's book, "Midlife,” and started looking at this stage of life in a new way. Irreversibility of time notwithstanding, he writes, there is space, it turns o...

The distance between Kathmandu and Washington is vast, but the warning is shared: without credible rules and accountabil...
04/10/2025

The distance between Kathmandu and Washington is vast, but the warning is shared: without credible rules and accountability, even old democracies wobble, writes Monik Bhatta.

The distance between Kathmandu and Washington is vast, but the warning is shared: without credible rules and accountability, even old democracies wobble, writes Monik Bhatta.

Jane Goodall believed nature was attainable to all. She looked wonder in the eye, and it held her gaze; when she reached...
03/10/2025

Jane Goodall believed nature was attainable to all. She looked wonder in the eye, and it held her gaze; when she reached out to touch it, it held her hand.

Fred D. Ledley first encountered Jane Goodall in 1964, at a lecture hosted by the National Geographic Society when he was 9 years old. Goodall believed nature was attainable to all. She looked wonder in the eye, and it held her gaze; when she reached out to touch it, it held her hand.

"Unlike in March, when Democrats caved to keep the government open, this time around they are holding the line, betting ...
03/10/2025

"Unlike in March, when Democrats caved to keep the government open, this time around they are holding the line, betting that voters will reward them for showing some backbone," writes Steve Almond. "Good on them."

Unlike in March, when Democrats caved to keep the government open, this time around they are holding the line, betting that voters will reward them for showing some backbone, writes Steve Almond. Good on them.

“The world has never felt more upside down and out of control,” McSweeney's editor Chris Monks told Cog editor Sara Shuk...
29/09/2025

“The world has never felt more upside down and out of control,” McSweeney's editor Chris Monks told Cog editor Sara Shukla, “but it’s good to know that there are so many funny writers out there who feel the same and use comedy to try and make some sense out of it all.”

Mel Brooks wrote, ‘If you can laugh you can get by,’ and I quote it all the time – to friends, my kids, myself, writes Sara Shukla. It’s not an easy time to work in the media, or even be a reader of the news. Here’s what I’m turning to lately for the relief of a good laugh.

I’ve always had a weakness for Fenway in September, writes Roberto Scalese, whose relationship with the Red Sox went sou...
26/09/2025

I’ve always had a weakness for Fenway in September, writes Roberto Scalese, whose relationship with the Red Sox went south after they traded Mookie Betts. When I heard you may even make the playoffs this year, I couldn’t help but wonder: was I wrong to call things off?

I’ve always had a weakness for Fenway in September, writes Roberto Scalese, whose relationship with the Red Sox went south after they traded Mookie Betts. When I heard you may even make the playoffs this year, I couldn’t help but wonder: was I wrong to call things off?

ESSAY: Constance Miekevicz became the first woman in Ireland to serve as a cabinet minister. At the time of her death in...
25/09/2025

ESSAY: Constance Miekevicz became the first woman in Ireland to serve as a cabinet minister. At the time of her death in 1927, she was so beloved that 300,000 lined the streets to witness her funeral procession.

Doug Brown collects rare books on early America. But he recently acquired a desk that once belonged to Constance Miekevicz (nee Gore-Booth), an Irish revolutionary and suffragist. He was inspired by the story of her extraordinary life.

As of July 2025, ChatGPT had amassed some 700 million users worldwide. According to new research, about 2% of users quer...
22/09/2025

As of July 2025, ChatGPT had amassed some 700 million users worldwide. According to new research, about 2% of users query the chatbot about personal relationships and to "discuss personal feelings." What does that mean for the rest of us?

As of July 2025, ChatGPT had amassed some 700 million users worldwide. According to new research, about 2% of users query the chatbot about personal relationships and to "discuss personal feelings." What does that mean for the rest of us?

Space exploration is no longer about improving the lives of people on Earth or about improving Earth itself, writes Joel...
17/09/2025

Space exploration is no longer about improving the lives of people on Earth or about improving Earth itself, writes Joelle Renstrom. It’s about political posturing and prestige and about encouraging (and profiting from) commercial spaceflight.

Changes to space policies and projects indicate an administration’s bigger goals, writes Joelle Renstrom. Which is why the public should pay attention to NASA’s decisions to shut down climate-related satellites and missions, and to prioritize building a nuclear reactor on the moon.

"Different hospitals accept different insurance plans. In general, commercial insurances pay the most, Medicare pays les...
16/09/2025

"Different hospitals accept different insurance plans. In general, commercial insurances pay the most, Medicare pays less, and Medicaid pays the lowest rates. The proportion of commercial, Medicare and Medicaid patients that any hospital sees is referred to as their payor mix, and this is a crucial concept to understanding how hospitals can stay in business."

Regardless of your political views, we can all agree that hospitals have to be solvent to stay open, write Anesu Karen Murambadoro and John Wixted. The Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act disrupt the economics of our health system making care harder to access and more expensive ...

Public libraries offer patrons much more than books, meeting spaces and story hours. There are computer skills classes, ...
15/09/2025

Public libraries offer patrons much more than books, meeting spaces and story hours. There are computer skills classes, notary services, English lessons, mindfulness meditation sessions, film screenings, museum passes, even gardening tools.

"There’s something profound in the steadiness of a library: the hushed quiet, items placed where they belong," writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson. "I’m holding up public libraries as a ballast for good, a bulwark against bad."

I’m holding up public libraries as a ballast for good, a bulwark against bad, writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson.

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