adam_cohen

Pulpit Freedom: Should Churches Endorse Political Candidates?

A group of rebel pastors is breaking the U.S. tax code which prohibits churches and other non-profits from engaging in electoral politics

shamus khan

Have We Become Too Obsessed with the Rich?

The rich make for a convenient punching bag, but there are better ways to address inequality

Jon Meacham

The Decline of the Wasp President

Tribal — and religious — distinctions that used to define our leaders and ourselves have fallen away

Stylish Insight: Fashion Sense from Chicago Ideas Week

Pictured: Elle Macpherson

Supermodel Elle Macpherson joined Elizabeth Fenner, editor-in-chief of Chicago Magazine, and an array of experts in style and design for a 90-minute Ideas Week session on fashion—and how it affects our lives. Here are some of the insights that stood out to us.

tim_padgett

Empty Pews: Everyone Is Misreading the New Numbers of Religiously ‘Unaffiliated’

Yes, there are more people who don't belong to any particular church, and yet many still believe in God

Toure

Why We Still Need Affirmative Action

Removing race from the admissions equation forces schools to be blind to one of the key factors in people's lives

eustice

Lance Armstrong Had Little Choice but to Dope

Everyone knew that cycling was rife with performance-enhancing drugs; you either joined in or quit the sport

Three Scientific Breakthroughs That Will Blow Your Mind

Chicago Ideas Week

Some of the nation's leading researchers and inventors gathered at this year’s Chicago Ideas Week to talk about everything from robotics to game-changing medical innovations.

Brilliant: The Science of Smart

What Your Dog Is Thinking

Dogs can count, use touchscreen computers and understand hundreds of words. Soon we might find out what they really think of us

Noliwe Rooks

Why It’s Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests

Research repeatedly shows that tests heavily advantage some and disadvantage others. So why do we still rely on them?

This Is the Future of News

Image: Akshay Kothari speaks to Richard Stengel, Managing Editor at TIME, at Chicago Ideas Week presentation "Future of News: What's the Story?" Presented by TIME.

At this week's Chicago Ideas Week, TIME's Rick Stengel talks with news veterans and new media game changers about the seismic shifts in how we create, share and engage with the news.

Melanie Dunea

Oedipus Chef: A Modern Cook’s Conflicted Relationship with His Mother

How do you make culinary improvements on traditional meals without becoming too modernist?

Doug Glanville

Are Sports Fans Really Out of Control?

Fans have been unruly lately, but if we focus on specific incidents we lose sight of the overwhelming positive support

The Do’s and Don’ts of Disruption

Image: Steve Case speaks with Rick Stengel during the Chicago Ideas Week megatalk on disruptive innovation at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012.

TIME's Rick Stengel talks to successful entrepreneurs about upending the status quo to create truly groundbreaking innovations

How to Build the Perfect Philanthropy

At this year’s Chicago Ideas Week, heads of the some of the nation’s most innovative giving organizations gathered to share a few of their most revolutionary concepts.