The Murder of Professor Schlick book trailer October 13, 2020 On June 22, 1936, the philosopher Moritz Schlick was on his way to deliver a lecture at the University of Vienna when Johann Nelböck, a deranged former student of Schlick’s, shot him dead on the university steps. Read More
Sean B. Carroll on The Serengeti Rules October 12, 2020 “The Serengeti Rules” won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Nature Documentary during the 41st annual News and Documentary 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
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
Books for understanding the US presidential election October 06, 2020 Need help riding out the November nail-biter? Delve into this list of books for understanding today’s politics as voters across the United States cast early ballots and prepare to head to polls. Read More
Listen in: Ravenna October 05, 2020 At the end of the fourth century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the seat of empire, a new capital city was rising in the West. Here, in Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and astonishing mosaics. Read More
On horses, goats, and writing October 02, 2020 My mother swears my first word was ‘horsie’. When other little girls were playing with dolls, I was snipping pictures of horses from newspapers and magazines, pasting them on poster board, and taping them to my bedroom walls. Read More
Spinoza’s guide to life and death October 01, 2020 How should we face our mortality? Whether death is—as we all hope—a far off eventuality or, through age or illness, imminent, what is the proper attitude to take? Should we fear death? Read More
Judith Herrin on Ravenna September 29, 2020 At the end of the fourth century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the seat of empire, a new capital city was rising in the West. Here, in Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and astonishing mosaics. Read More
Notes on masks September 28, 2020 Last week I was about to enter a coffee shop in Berkeley, when a person came rushing out, mask-less and shouting. For a second I thought I could see her voice, showering the insidious droplets I have learned too much about. Read More
Bob Dylan’s rowdy ways and American voice September 25, 2020 One of the great ironies surrounding Bob Dylan’s 2016 reception of the Nobel Prize for Literature is that, at the time of the prize, the great songwriter had just released a pair of recordings that featured no compositions of his own. Read More
Campus racism and how history can inform college leaders today September 24, 2020 College presidents have described the uncertainty within higher education due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic downturn as “uncharted territory.” Read More
A virtual guide to Leaving Academia September 23, 2020 Two distinct challenges stood in my way when I began to consider leaving academia. The first was psychological. By that point in 2015, my entire identity was bound up in my scholarly work. Read More
Focus on climate September 21, 2020 Increased heat, drought, and wildfires are sobering reminders that we must renew our commitment to climate action and build a better future. As Climate Week NYC kicks off, these offerings can deepen your understanding about the science, economics, politics and history of climate change. Read More
A long afternoon: Opposition, enmity, and Egyptian hieroglyphs September 18, 2020 In the summer of 1828, the natural scientist and physician Thomas Young spent an afternoon with Jean-François Champollion, the scholar who, six years earlier, had announced a system for reading Egyptian hieroglyphs, considerably complicating Young’s preceding efforts to do the same thing. Read More
A Series of Fortunate Events book trailer September 17, 2020 Like every other species, we humans are here by accident. But it is shocking just how many things—any of which might never have occurred—had to happen in certain ways for any of us to exist. Read More