Essay Yes, the Chinese care about the Western classics January 24, 2023 Much as in Europe and the US, the ancient Greeks live on in China through their works鈥攁t least, recently so. Over the past century, the philosophical and political texts of western antiquity, especially those of classical Athens, have sparked the interest of Chinese intellectuals, journalists, reformers, and nationalists. Read More
Interview Betty S. Lai on The Grant Writing Guide January 24, 2023 Grant funding can be a major determinant of promotion and tenure at colleges and universities, yet many scholars receive no training in the crucial skill of grant writing. Read More
Essay The curse of long-ruling autocrats January 18, 2023 In October 2022, during the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping was 鈥渞eelected鈥� as the party鈥檚 chairman, paving his way for a third term as China鈥檚 top political leader. Read More
Podcast An excerpt from The Aesthetic Cold War January 17, 2023 In 鈥淎frica and Her Writers,鈥� a feisty Chinua Achebe begins by proclaiming, 鈥淎rt for art鈥檚 sake is just another piece of deodorized dog shit.鈥� The joke, of course, comes at high modernism鈥檚 expense, and he was neither the first nor the last figure from decolonizing regions of the world to rail against writing for a privileged few. Read More
Essay On the misuse of legacy: The Struggle for the People鈥檚 King January 14, 2023 On a humid day in late August 2010, the right-wing Tea Party activist and Fox News television host Glenn Beck held a rally to 鈥淩estore Honor鈥� at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Read More
Essay Flipping failure January 09, 2023 鈥淔ailing big鈥� has been much in the news鈥攊t鈥檚 part of an exciting strategy that also includes 鈥渕ove fast and break things鈥� and 鈥渘o risk, no reward!鈥� But what about failing small? Read More
Essay Lessons from the past about the future of capitalism January 02, 2023 The capitalist economic system has delivered wealth to the world population on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, many people feel unhappy about how little the economy does for them. Read More
Interview Daisy Hay on Dinner with Joseph Johnson January 01, 2023 Joseph Johnson was an extraordinary man, who brought together an extraordinary range of people.聽But Dinner with Joseph Johnson is not straightforwardly a biography of him鈥攐r even a book about him. Read More
Essay What Hollywood gets wrong (and right) about neuroscience December 23, 2022 Become a martial arts expert by uploading the ability to fight directly to your brain.聽Build a new body and insert the mind of a lost loved one into this newly created person. Read More
Interview In dialogue: Perspectives on migration December 14, 2022 Few phenomena sway global politics today as does migration. Economic volatility, violence-laden crises, and climate change produce millions of migrants annually and collectively threaten to displace much of the world鈥檚 population in the coming century. Read More
Essay Why prove it? December 13, 2022 Years ago, a student in an introductory math class asked me: 鈥淲hy do you聽prove everything; why don鈥檛 you just tell us?鈥� Ever since, I have pondered that聽question. Read More
Essay Parasites and the interconnected biosphere December 13, 2022 One of the most fascinating things that a young person can experience in the complex realm of biology is the discovery of an animal living inside another animal. The questions that arise when these kinds of animals are encountered for the first time are innumerable and, if answered carefully, may lead to even more questions and, hopefully, more answers. Read More
Essay Why going to the Moon still matters December 12, 2022 The Moon is back on the space agenda. NASA鈥檚 Apollo project succeeded half a century ago in placing the first men on the Moon. We haven鈥檛 been back since 1972, but there is now great interest in returning. Read More
Essay Gal谩pagos birds: A lot more than meets the eye December 12, 2022 As a child growing up in the then-remote Galapagos Islands, the birds that surrounded my island home鈥攗nafraid as they were鈥攆ascinated me. Read More
Essay Live longer by living better, says Seneca December 05, 2022 Because we can't truly conceive of an endpoint to life, we give to our time far less value than we should, squandering it on useless pursuits or frivolities. Read More
