What does it mean for The Atlantic—a magazine that has always emphasized the importance of ideas—to launch a separate section actually called Ideas, as we are doing today?
It means that, you, our readers, will have a new destination on the web for incisive and intelligent analysis, essays, and commentary. When news breaks, and you want to understand what it means and why it matters, you’ll have a place to turn for context, analysis, and perspective. When you want to expand your own horizons by encountering new voices and new perspectives, you’ll know exactly where to seek them out.
You’ll find many of your favorite Atlantic writers here, but you’ll also encounter a broad array of voices from across the country, and around the globe. Their work will challenge your preconceptions and expectations. You won’t always agree with them—I hope, in fact, that you find yourselves disagreeing with them regularly. (And, by the way, I’m guessing that they will seldom agree with one another.) Our hope is that you will find their arguments to be rigorous, their spirit generous, and their commitment to fact-based discourse beyond any doubt. At a moment when so many people are engaging in political debate by talking past one another, Ideas will be a place where writers of varied persuasions engage one another in good faith.