Writing about what matters. Having the courage and conviction to speak up and speak out. These are hallmarks of what it means to learn and study at Smith College, and to live a life as an engaged ...

Editor’s note: Books discussed in this essay include Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind; Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow; Bruce Schneier’s Liars and Outliers; and Jim Manzi’s Uncontrolled.

Many letters to the editor today reflect not thoughtful political disagreement, but performative politics — particularly from the left — rooted in media repetition rather than reading, study or ...