Almost a month ago, I got a pitch from a renowned scholar of psychology, Arie Kruglanski. Well known for his work on violent extremism, Kruglanski proposed a story about another of his specialties – the quest for significance and respect. This is a guy who knows how to get an editor’s attention: Propose a story about a big, sweeping subject, but link it to something that’s happening right now.

“President Biden hit the proverbial nail on the head when he stressed in his townhall meeting the issue of dignity and respect,” Kruglanski wrote. “Indeed that motivation is arguably the most important social motivation that virtually makes the world go round… It is a motivation responsible for the Deaths of Despair ( a book by Case and Deaton), the recent wave of suicides among working class Americans, it is a motivation responsible for the adaptation of various conspiracy theories, for the rift in the Republican party and for social protests on the other side of things (Black Lives Matter movement for one).”

A grand theory that can knit together and explain many of the events and phenomena in the news? Sold. That’s the kind of story I believe serves you, our readers, by opening up new ways to understand our world. You can read Kruglanski's story right here.