In the country I was born, Colombia, we used to have a popular figure: the yerbatero. The name comes from hierbas (popularly pronounced 'yerbas'), and designates that expert in treating any kind of condition, from the flu to heartbreak, with herb infusions. The yerbateros accumulate knowledge from others, especially the ancestors, and spread it widely - they are a repository of knowledge. In my profession as a social scientist, I often hear people lament the different writing

David R. Goyes   In the first season of Mike White’s The White Lotus (2021), eight main characters go on vacation to Maui, Hawaii. In the first suite are the Pattons. Shane Patton comes from a wealthy, conservative family and is obsessed with himself and his appearance—the archetypal egocentric personality that craves acclaim. Shane married Rachel Patton for her physical beauty, but disdains her intellectual capacities and professional dreams. Rachel, although unhappy with Sh

Ethicist Travis Rieder writes about what he calls ‘the Puzzle’: everything we do seems to matter in worsening climate change, but at the...

Nigel South is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Essex, Department of Sociology and Criminology. His research encompasses, among other areas, private policing, drug markets and drug use, and environmental crime. His research on private policing and drug issues is widely cited, and he is recognised as one of the pioneers of green criminology.