There are many occasions when doing something that makes our lives meaningful appears not to make them happier. The ideal strategy, writes Thaddeus Metz, would be to seek out a life which contains both happiness and meaning at the same time - rather than giving up one in favour of the other.
Some members of the governing African National Congress have accused the South African judiciary of undermining President Jacob Zuma’s executive authority. A court has ruled that Zuma must provide reasons for sacking his former finance minister. The president has challenged the ruling, arguing that he has the executive authority to hire and fire ministers as he wishes. But, argues Mashupye Maserumule, Zuma is being disingenuous because the court’s decision was simply underscoring the fact that the country is a constitutional democracy and that its executive must account for its decisions.
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Thaddeus Metz, University of Johannesburg
The best sort of life would include both happiness and meaningfulness. Although one sometimes has to choose between these two values, one ought to strive for a life in which there's plenty of both.
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Politics + Society
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Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Tshwane University of Technology
President Jacob Zuma's grounds for appeal are surreal. He invokes the meaning of a rule set by the apartheid context he ferociously fought against, to justify his executive action in a democracy.
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Education
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Line Kuppens, Katholiek Universiteit of Leuven; Arnim Langer, University of Leuven
The impact of peace education or human rights courses ultimately depends on how teachers -- who may not be neutral -- implement them.
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Health + Medicine
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Blessing Mberu, African Population and Health Research Center; Kanyiva Muindi, African Population and Health Research Center; Patricia Elungata, McGill University
Antenatal care is a vital time for both mother and unborn baby. It promotes and establishes good health before childbirth and after delivery.
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Environment + Energy
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Martin Sullivan, University of Leeds; Oliver Phillips, University of Leeds; Simon Lewis, UCL
It's crucial to know the relationship between biodiversity and carbon storage to assess whether carbon-focused conservation will also protect the most biodiverse forests.
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From our international editions
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David Mislin, Temple University
Trump avoided many of the missteps his critics feared, but he failed to acknowledge the presence of America's large Muslim population and its contribution to American society.
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Lianne Taylor, Anglia Ruskin University
Women in business can be forced to define themselves in opposition to the attributes associated with men.
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Chloe Germaine Buckley, Manchester Metropolitan University
Independent, powerful feminist role models or a warning to women not to overstep the mark? Witches have been many things over the years.
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Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology
Facebook should give the public more insight into how content moderation decisions are made.
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