Grade 9

 
Group of smiling teenagers standing in front of a colorful background
Finding Common Ground

Are individualism and community at odds?

Robot reading book to senior woman sitting on sofa at home

AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships

Source: The Conversation

At a time when health professionals are warning the public about the effects of loneliness and isolation, can Artificial Intelligence help? The author of this article sees limits to technology’s ability to promote human connection and fulfillment.











Police officer standing between two girls looking at each other angrily

Creating Common Ground in Tense, Difficult Situations

Source: George W. Bush Institute

It can be hard to find common ground in a tense situation. Click here to read an interview with Chicago’s Superintendent of Police David Brown, who urges Americans involved in conflicts to really listen to each other, see past their differences, and work together in a spirit of collaboration.







View from behind a grocery cart in a supermarket aisle

Our choices may be making us more individualistic

Source: ScienceDaily

Whether it’s picking out a box of cereal from the grocery aisle or deciding which sources to get our information from, we make all kinds of choices every day. This article suggests that having all these choices may ultimately have a negative impact on society.



Illustration of a man and a woman holding a contract in front of a globe

What We Owe Each Other

Source: International Monetary Fund

A social contract is an implied agreement among the people of a society about the rules that define their government. The author of this piece believes it’s time to establish new social contracts to replace systems that aren’t working well anymore.


tick on a human skin

What the ‘Lyme wars’ can teach us about COVID-19 and how to find common ground in the school reopening debate

Source: The Conversation

Lyme disease, which people get from tick bites, is a subject of controversy in the medical field. What can we learn from this controversy that might help people deal with disagreements about COVID-19 and reopening schools?


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