The clash between socialist and liberal economics defined the late twentieth century, and this century brings a cultural version of that struggle. Today’s culture wars pit advocates of equal outcomes and special protection for identity groups against defenders of due process, equal treatment, scientific reason, and free speech. Our political map is taking shape around this new divide between what I will call cultural socialism and cultural liberalism.

Cultural socialism, which values equal results and harm prevention for identity groups over individual rights, has inspired race-based pedagogies and harsh punishments for controversial speech. Rooted in the idea that historically marginalized groups are sacred, this view is no passing fad. Letters, associations, universities, and media defending free speech notwithstanding, the young adherents of cultural socialism are steadily overturning the liberal ethos of the adult world.

Survey data from my new Manhattan Institute report, “The Politics of the Culture Wars in Contemporary America,” show the scale of the challenge. While the American public leans two-to-one in favor of cultural liberalism, a majority of Americans under 30 incline toward cultural socialism. For instance, while 65 percent of Americans over 55 oppose Google’s decision to fire James Damore for having questioned the firm’s training on gender equity, those under 30 support the firing by a 59–41 margin. Similar gaps separate young and old people on similar instances of cancel culture, such as the oustings of Gina Carano (an actor fired from Star Wars for social media posts) and Brendan Eich (the former CEO of Mozilla forced out in 2014 for opposing gay marriage in 2008). Only part of this disparity stems from the fact that young people lean left: centrist young people, for instance, support Google over Damore by a 61–39 margin, while centrists over 55 support Damore over Google 58–42.

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A Generational Threat to Free Expression: Survey data show that Americans under 30 prize cancel culture over liberty | @BirkbeckUoL Professor @epkaufm in @CityJournal on his latest @ManhattanInst research report https://t.co/RSVZ1k4tSg

— Brandon Fuller (@fuller_brandon) January 25, 2022

Work is well underway for Lincoln Cathedral to become scaffolding-free for the first time in 36 years.

The structure is being removed and a spokesman for the venue said it will be complete by Friday, February 4.

It will mark the first time in five years of restoration work on the West Front that the Cathedral will be free of its scaffolding.

On its Facebook, visitors are advised to enter the Cathedral via a separate location for the next two weeks while the scaffold is removed.

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Minster Yard – Lincoln, England
Lincoln Cathedral pic.twitter.com/1BqOS71Q2x

— Gothic Esthetic (@Gothic_Esthetic) January 22, 2022

China has launched a month-long campaign to clean up online content during next week’s lunar new year festival, in its latest effort to reshape behaviour on the internet.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet regulator, has instructed officials to sweep away “illegal content and information” and target celebrity fan groups, online abuse, money worship, child influencers and the homepages of media sites.

The campaign will apply the tradition of cleaning house before the new year, the most important holiday in China, to the internet, envisioning a “purification” of the online world.

The edict is the latest step in Beijing’s clampdown on the entertainment industry as authorities purge content deemed immoral, unpatriotic and non-mainstream from online culture.

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China has launched a ‘purification’ campaign to clean up online content ahead of next week’s lunar new year.

Officials have been instructed to target celebrity fan groups, online abuse, money worship, child influencers and the homepages of media sites https://t.co/L35zqtTjSJ

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) January 25, 2022

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set a new record in the power conversion efficiency of solar cells made using perovskite and organic materials. This technological breakthrough paves the way for flexible, light-weight, low cost and ultra-thin photovoltaic cells which are ideal for powering vehicles, boats, blinds and other applications.

“Technologies for clean and renewable energy are extremely important for carbon reduction. Solar cells that directly convert solar energy into electricity are among the most promising clean energy technologies. High power conversion efficiency of solar cells is critical for generating more electrical power using a limited area and this, in turn, reduces the total cost of generating solar energy,” explained lead researcher Presidential Young Professor Hou Yi, who is from the NUS Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and also leading a “Perovskite-based Multi-junction Solar Cells group” at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore at NUS.

“The main motivation of this study is to improve the power conversion efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. In our latest work, we have demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 23.6% – this is the best performance for this type of solar cells to date,” added Dr Chen Wei, Research Fellow at the NUS Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the first author of this work.

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NUS researchers have set a new record in the power conversion efficiency of solar cells made using perovskite and organic materials, paving the way for flexible, light, low cost and ultra-thin photovoltaic cells. #NUSInnovation #NUSSustainability https://t.co/BgrQ34Bp9F

— NUS (@NUSingapore) January 21, 2022

O God, who by the preaching of thine apostle Paul hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same by following the holy doctrine which he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Let us celebrate the conversion of Saint Paul the apostle. He was transformed from being a persecutor of Christ into a vessel of His grace. #Morningprayer #ConversionofStPaul pic.twitter.com/KoiK7SaOfP

— Kathryn Jean Lopez (@kathrynlopez) January 25, 2022

Serene Son of God, whose will subdued the troubled waters and laid to rest the fears of men: Let thy majesty master us, thy power of calm control us; that for our fears we may have faith, and for our disquietude perfect trust in thee; who dost live and govern all things, world without end.

–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)

Sunrise in the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee …https://t.co/KH4FTYSfSW pic.twitter.com/9V3ML38iEU

— Edgar Allen Lee (@edgarallenlee) January 25, 2022

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

–Hebrews 9:11-14

It has been so grey here these last few days, not seen any decent light for a while. Here's an angle I don't normally post but it does have sunshine, light and a journey involved in the scene (with a rest stop included). Mystical sunrise. pic.twitter.com/Q6TcYMVTbG

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) January 25, 2022