If you have a youthful soul or are a parent looking for the rare story that shows that heroism is not inborn or altruistic but the result of one’s choices and rational values, Hercules belongs on your watchlist.

Far from a history of liberty, de Dijn’s book is a conscious effort to undermine that concept and to substitute in its place what she calls a “democratic conception of freedom,” which, in principle, amounts to collective control over every aspect of individual behavior.

If you want to have a good time, meet interesting people, and learn powerful practices for flourishing, then I highly recommend TOS-Con.

As we look back on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, it’s important that we do so in a balanced way, not disregarding the things that have gone wrong, but also not letting ourselves slip into the fallacy of thinking that we live in the worst of times or at the end of history. We don’t.

For those wanting to see the epitome of determination and willpower in action, few stories provide such a visceral experience as The Revenant.

This just in from TOS’s Fake News department: As Americans were preparing to ring in the new year on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control dashed widespread hopes for a return to some semblance of normalcy in 2021, recommending that Americans refrain from making New Year’s resolutions.

I love the holiday vibe during the few weeks before Christmas: the fir-scented candles, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra holiday music, Christmas lights, hot chocolate, and ads. Wait, what? Yes . . . advertisements.

Nintendo announced on Tuesday that it is rereleasing classic titles with radically new game designs following a collaboration with Yale professor Daniel Markovits, author of the New York Times best-selling book The Meritocracy Trap.