A Philosopher’s One-Word Theory for Why the World Feels So Weird artwork
Plain English with Derek Thompson

A Philosopher’s One-Word Theory for Why the World Feels So Weird

Jul 14, 2026 · 58 min

Why does it feel like everything is more divided and exhausting than it used to be? Philosopher Agnes Callard has a surprisingly simple answer: the unicontext. It's her term for what happens when billions of people are all forced to inhabit the same global conversation through the internet and social media. In this episode, Derek talks with Callard about how the unicontext has reshaped the way we…