Pricing And The Soul

Surveillance Pricing

Patrick K. Lin | LPE Project | 20th April 2026

Modern retailers use personal data like purchase history, location, and demographics to charge people different prices for the same product. Mere disclosure — which New York now mandates — may be insufficient to protect consumers from price gouging. This is the “transparency trap”: “the consumer is left informed but unprotected”. “Surveillance pricing is the next data privacy battleground” (1,900 words)

Puzzle: Play Nomido, the Browser’s daily word game.

The Invention Of The Soul

Nicholas Humphrey | Aeon | 17th April 2026

What is the soul? Nothing is more ineffable than this “felt self”. Does it exist? The soul arguably has been a potent invention for human evolution. “From the moment it took off among our ancestors, it must have been highly adaptive, transforming human relationships, encouraging new levels of mutual respect, and greatly increasing the value each person puts on their own and others’ lives” (4,200 words)