Essay Leadership in a time of crisis: Nero and the Great Fire of Rome November 13, 2020 There is one political failing that people seem unable to forgive. In the case of George W. Bush it was not the bitterly divisive invasion of Iraq that blighted his presidential image, nor was Donald Trump鈥檚 belligerent governing style his most serious liability in the 2020 election. Read More
Essay Six impossible things November 12, 2020 In the Wonderland of her mind, Alice laughed. 鈥淥ne can鈥檛 believe impossible things,鈥� she said to the White Queen. The Queen observed that Alice simply lacked discipline and practice, boasting that she sometimes believed 鈥渁s many as six impossible things before breakfast.鈥� Read More
Essay T.M. Luhrmann on small acts of real鈥憁aking November 11, 2020 The most important question to ask about religion is not why but how. 鈥淲hy鈥� is a skeptic鈥檚 question鈥攁 puzzle around the seemingly absurd ideas (a talking snake, a virgin birth) that we find in religions. Read More
Essay Eric Cline on Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works November 10, 2020 To be perfectly honest, this is the book that I wish had been available when I was just starting out in archaeology and before I went on my first dig as a sophomore in college鈥攁 book small enough that I could slip it into my back pocket and pull out whenever I had a spare moment to read a couple of pages or a whole chapter. Read More
Essay Our (Un)Civil War November 09, 2020 To say that our nation is politically divided between Democrats and Republicans could not be more of an understatement. How did we get to this point, and is there anything that ordinary citizens can do to reduce or manage the rift? Read More
Essay Voting freely in a rigged election November 02, 2020 Can a person act freely in a system that is completely rigged, in which every action is determined from the outset? Maybe you are haunted by this question as you slog off to Town Hall to vote. Maybe it is so bothersome that you just stay home.聽Maybe you鈥檝e already sent in your ballot, but you feel somehow unsatisfied. Read More
Essay A look inside The Queens Nobody Knows October 30, 2020 Of the sixty-five million or so visitors to New York City every year, the overwhelming majority spend their time only in Manhattan. Because of Brooklyn鈥檚 cachet as a destination, a certain number will also include it in their itinerary. Queens remains something of a mystery to most visitors, a place that they know is part of the city, but that might not be of particular interest. Read More
Essay In the mood for art in India鈥檚 eighteenth century October 29, 2020 In the long eighteenth century, artists from Udaipur, a city of lakes in northwestern India, specialized in depicting the vivid sensory ambience of its historic palaces, reservoirs, temples, bazaars, and durbars. Read More
Essay The fight for the Right:聽Conservatives have always argued with each over who owns their tradition October 28, 2020 The political era through which Americans and Europeans are living is dominated at present by the right. But which right is that? Read More
Essay Piranesi, maker of books October 27, 2020 One of the central ideas that we explore in Piranesi Unbound is how a book comes together as the product of collaboration. As an artist, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720鈥�1778) worked in many forms and materials. Read More
Interview By Design | Setting A Series of Fortunate Events in motion October 26, 2020 In a world governed by chance, one book peers into the randomness of existence. From cosmic collisions and tectonic shifts to the infinitesimal accidents of biology, Sean B. Carroll鈥檚 A Series of Fortunate Events ranges across time and space, showing how chance occurrences brought us to where we are, fashioned us as we are, and contributed to all the beauty and diversity we see around us. Read More
Essay Democracy counts: On sacred and debased numbers October 22, 2020 Democracy depends on numbers. This was recognized from the founding of the American republic. The US Constitution defined terms for periodic elections and for the reapportionment of representatives among the states as their populations grew. Read More
Essay How to be content: The contemporary lessons of an ancient poet October 20, 2020 The poet Horace (65-8 BCE) is one of the most celebrated writers of Latin literature. His work has been copied and preserved over the centuries for both its sparkling form and its enlightened content. Read More
Interview Sean B. Carroll on The Serengeti Rules October 12, 2020 鈥淭he聽Serengeti Rules鈥澛爓on聽the聽Emmy Award聽for Outstanding聽Nature Documentary聽during the 41st annual News and聽Documentary聽Awards ceremony on September 22 and was nominated as a finalist for best cinematography. In the fields of biological and environmental studies, Sean B. Carroll has made a name for himself not only as a scientist, writer, and educator, but as a storyteller. Read More
Essay COVID and experts: A microcosm of democracy today October 09, 2020 The COVID pandemic has spotlighted one of the most polarizing features of American democracy: the growing importance of experts in making policy decisions. Government decisions to lock down households and businesses, close schools and beaches, and require citizens to wear masks have been driven by expert advice. Read More
