In the 1987 Oliver Stone classic Wall Street, Michael Douglas’ role as the brazen corporate raider, Gordon Gekko, not only won the actor an Oscar for his performance but iconized his character as the ...

One idea unites the left and right lately: a zero-sum view of the world. Unfortunately, nice as it would be to hail a rare instance of ideological harmony, both sides are very much mistaken. Perhaps ...

To paraphrase (again) the British politician and historian Thomas Babington Macaulay: People always think that life has been improving — up until their own time, that is. Somehow they don’t expect ...

In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on zero-sum thinking, namely the widespread belief that economic, social, or political gains for one group can only be achieved at the expense of ...

In our interconnected world, the family dynamic is always evolving. For many, the notion of family expands beyond traditional boundaries to include egg and sperm donors and half-siblings. However, a ...

Some situations in life are zero-sum. On Super Bowl Sunday, two teams take the field but only one will emerge victorious, Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand. In a presidential election, only one candidate ...

What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past. Throughout history, absurd economic theories have repeatedly caused immense damage.

Zero-sum thinking has spread like a mind virus, from geopolitics to pop culture. Credit...Photo illustration by Pablo Delcan Supported by By Damien Cave Damien covers global affairs. He is based in ...