(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) ‘Tis the season for holidays in many parts of the Anglophone world. Not just the commercial juggernaut that is Christmas and the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving just past, but Hanukkah, … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) Bastards aren’t the inevitable consequence of adultery, but they’re pretty common. They don’t have to be, of course. With birth control, one can have oodles of standard-issue heterosexual intercourse without … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) In theory, most cultures agree that once you marry a person (or persons), you’re not supposed to sleep around outside of that bond. In practice . . . Adultery happens … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) Previous New Worlds essays have touched on the topic of widows and widowers, specifically in the context of mourning customs, but we’ve never stopped and looked directly at what happens … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) As the title of this essay suggests, it’s a bit of a grab bag. In previous essays when we discussed types of marriage, I focused on the basic structures: monogamy … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) Fantasy and science fiction have a very thorny relationship with the concept of essentialism. I’m not going to claim this problem is unique to the speculative genres; you also see … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) Odds are extremely high that every single person reading this has given or received a gift at some point in their life. It can be a lot of fun, on … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) Up until now we’ve been talking about generosity in a fairly direct, person-to-person sense: building social bonds with your neighbor, welcoming the traveler at your gate. But when generosity comes … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series. It has been edited since its original posting to correct errors regarding the potlatch tradition.) All around the world, generosity is an admired trait — and there’s a good reason … Continue reading
(This post is part of my Patreon-supported New Worlds series.) After that tour through the unpleasant things humans do to each other, let’s turn our thoughts to something nicer. You may think it odd that I’m discussing hospitality, given that … Continue reading
