Recently I have turned my attention mostly to books, which cover a range of topics—child care, obesity, the biological basis of behavior, economics, consumer culture. But I also write essays, opinion and occasional magazine articles. I’m interested in social justice in the broadest sense, cultural criticism and also the interface of science, medicine and society. When I get the chance to write a book review or arts or travel piece, I’m delighted. Sometimes I even get a chance to write about my personal passion—which by now you know to be outdoor sports like skiing, biking, and hiking. The Writing Life is peripatetic, and I’m fortunate to be able to follow my interests wherever they lead to opportunity.

I am a correspondent for the Atlantic, and over 15 years have written for the magazine on everything from mad cow disease to the science of early child care to a reconsideration of fluoride. Of all the pieces I’ve written for the magazine, I am probably most proud of a cover story I did on malaria, that I was told galvanized not only public opinion but government agencies to focus more seriously on the problem. The piece was titled Resurgence of a Deadly Disease.

I am nearly as proud of another piece I wrote years ago for the New York Times Magazine, The Hippocratic Wars, on the politics of medical journals—which led to a full day colloquium on the subject at Columbia University (to which I addressed the keynote lecture.) For some reason the piece is most easily accessible these days on Junk Sience, a website I don’t usually follow.

I’m currently researching a new subject area: work and its centrality in our lives. Historically, working hard for its own sake was not always considered a moral good, and I find that curious. Classical and medieval cultures, the Greeks and the Hebrews regarded work as a curse. (Ponos, the Greek word for work, also meant pain.) It was not until the protestant reformation that labor became an acceptable way to spend one’s time. The Calvinist idea that pursuing profit was not only okay, but one’s religious duty, was a radical departure from Christian beliefs. Still, even then most Calvinists were farmers, and the pace of farming prevented the constant, frenzied attitude toward work many of us share today—work slowed with the seasons, and so did the workers. But where once work allowed famers, craftsmen, and others not enslaved to become masters of their own fates, this is no longer the case. Work, it seems to me, has become not only our master, but the determinant of our feelings of self worth and merit in the world. Given current employment trends, I find this particularly frightening…and something as a society we need to reconsider seriously and deeply. My next project will grapple with this issue in all its rich history—it’s going to be a fascinating few years. Please write with your thoughts, and if you agree, I will share them here or on the Atlantic blog.

Some very recent writings:

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The New York Times Sunday Magazine
An essay on hubris, a vice with which I am all too familiar