The second half of Touraine’s new book is his proposal to “think differently” — penser autrement. It is a continuation of an argument he has been developing in a series of books since 1992: that we don’t need faith in either God or Progress, but in ourselves.

Dying for a mirage: ­ Yesterday I saw Ellen McLaughlin’s play “Helen,” based on Euripides’ play of the same name…  Just like in real life, the bloodiest wars are fought for things that exist only in men’s minds: “eternal Israel,” “free Palestine,” “jihad,” “Tamil homeland,” “Aryan supremacy,” “the American way of life,” etc. Pretty perceptive, that Euripides. I hope he writes some more. 2002.03.24