Essay Marcia Bjornerud on Grandmothers of Geoscience March 12, 2019 Marcia Bjornerud, professor of geology and environmental studies at Lawrence University, reflects on the mantle, 鈥淭he Grandmother of Geoscience.鈥� Read More
Essay Adrienne Mayor on Inspiring Women Writers March 04, 2019 Adrienne Mayor is the author of聽 Gods and Robots, the fascinating untold story of how the ancients imagined robots and other forms of artificial life鈥攁nd even invented real automated machines. Read More
Essay Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof on Racial Migrations February 28, 2019 Near the end of July in 1885, General Antonio Maceo spoke to an enthusiastic audience at an assembly hall on East 13th Street in Manhattan. The general, one of the most famous leaders of the unsuccessful war for independence in Cuba between 1868 and 1878, was in the city seeking donations to buy arms and munitions for a new war. Read More
Interview Amin Saikal on Iran Rising February 15, 2019 When Iranians overthrew their monarchy, rejecting a pro-Western shah in favor of an Islamic regime, many observers predicted that revolutionary turmoil would paralyze the country for decades to come. Read More
Interview J. C. Sharman on Empires of the Weak February 13, 2019 What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? Read More
Essay On Influence: Robert Hayden in Dakar February 12, 2019 After having a conversation about a novel I鈥檝e since forgotten, my undergraduate literature professor at the University of Michigan gave me a paperback copy of Robert Hayden鈥檚 Collected Poems. Read More
Interview Ken Steiglitz on The Discrete Charm of the Machine February 12, 2019 A few short decades ago, we were informed by the smooth signals of analog television and radio; we communicated using our analog telephones; and we even computed with analog computers. Read More
Essay Ken Steiglitz: When Caruso鈥檚 Voice Became Immortal February 07, 2019 The first record to sell a million copies was Enrico Caruso鈥檚 1904 recording of 鈥淰esti la giubba.鈥� There was nothing digital, or even electrical about it; it was a strictly mechanical affair. Read More
Essay Jason Brennan: When the state is unjust, citizens may use justifiable violence January 29, 2019 If you see police choking someone to death 鈥� such as Eric Garner, the 43-year-old black horticulturalist wrestled down on the streets of New York City in 2014 鈥� you might choose to pepper-spray them and flee. You might even save an innocent life. But what ethical considerations justify such dangerous heroics? Read More
Interview Public Thinker: Issa Kohler-Hausmann on Misdemeanors and Mass Incarceration December 26, 2018 While most critics of the American criminal justice system condemn mass incarceration, fewer have turned a critical eye to practices that result in punishment other than imprisonment. Read More
Interview Jason Brennan on When All Else Fails December 11, 2018 The economist Albert O. Hirschman famously argued that citizens of democracies have only three possible responses to injustice or wrongdoing by their governments: we may leave, complain, or comply. Read More
Interview David Hu on How to Walk on Water and Climb Up Walls November 12, 2018 Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? Read More
Interview Edward Burger on Making Up Your Own Mind November 09, 2018 We solve countless problems鈥攂ig and small鈥攅very day. With so much practice, why do we often have trouble making simple decisions鈥攎uch less arriving at optimal solutions to important questions? Read More
Interview William R. Newman on Newton the Alchemist November 07, 2018 When Isaac Newton鈥檚 alchemical papers surfaced at a Sotheby鈥檚 auction in 1936, the quantity and seeming incoherence of the manuscripts were shocking. Read More
