The Big Higher Education Question in 2026 Ought to Be: What Are We Preparing Young People For?

An argument that the four-year residential degree is being outgrown by the kinds of lives its graduates are now living — and what the curriculum, and the institution, should do about it.

The Conversation· 11 min read· 2026

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Hark! Follow The Sounding Of The Horns To The 2026 NBA Playoff Preview

Defector's annual NBA playoff preview, written in the publication's signature voice — part scouting report, part character study, all of it unstuck from the league's preferred narratives.

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Chicken Salad for Celery Enthusiasts

Deb Perelman's strong-opinioned take on chicken salad: extra celery, a generous hand with herbs, and a dressing that doesn't apologize. A small manifesto of summer cooking.

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Refragmenting

Paul Graham on why 'pick one thing and focus' advice often fails — the real obstacle isn't distraction, it's fragmentation, and the cure is to refactor the schedule around the kind of work you're doing.

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The Big Higher Education Question in 2026 Ought to Be: What Are We Preparing Young People For?

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