Podcast Listen in: The Profit Paradox August 12, 2021 In an era of technological progress and easy communication, it might seem reasonable to assume that the world’s working people have never had it so good. Read More
Essay Why are no-excuses schools moving beyond no excuses? August 09, 2021 This past year has forced schools to make significant changes to their practices. It has also prompted teachers and administrators to reimagine education and to rearticulate a new vision for their schools—as I’ve seen at “no excuses” charter schools, which I have spent the last decade studying and observing. Read More
Essay How washing dishes restored my intellectual life August 05, 2021 Midway through the journey of my life, I found myself in the woods of eastern Ontario, living in a remote Catholic religious community called Madonna House. Read More
Essay A look inside Darkness by Design August 03, 2021 From New York to London, from Chicago to Tokyo, and from Frankfurt to Sydney, capital markets the world over have undergone revolutionary changes during the past two decades. Read More
Essay The birth of biology July 29, 2021 It is impossible to pinpoint the precise moment when the first notions of our modern understanding of biology emerged. Our interest in the natural world is not a new phenomenon—a preoccupation with reproduction, birth, and the nature of disease, as well as descriptions of animal and plant species, can be traced back to ancient times. Read More
Essay A look inside Very Important People July 28, 2021 A sociologist and former fashion model takes readers inside the elite global party circuit of “models and bottles” to reveal how beautiful young women are used to boost the status of men. Read More
Essay Treasure troves: Freeing the hidden histories in German ethnological museums July 27, 2021 Germany’s heated repatriation debates reached a milestone in April 2021. As public discussions became particularly intense over the preceding five years, they focused largely on the opening of the Humboldt Forum, a new exhibition venue in the heart of Berlin. Read More
Essay Trying to get your scholarly book published? Some tips for maintaining perspective and staying true to your vision July 27, 2021 Developmental editor Laura Portwood-Stacer shares some key reminders you can return to when you find yourself in need of encouragement during the proposal and publication processes. Read More
Essay French flowers in an English garden July 23, 2021 A summer walk through the garden of the English language reveals it sporting many a foreign flower. English has borrowed more words from French, in particular, than from any other modern foreign language. Read More
Podcast Listen in: The Great Guide July 19, 2021 David Hume (1711–1776) is perhaps best known for his ideas about cause and effect and his criticisms of religion, but he is rarely thought of as a philosopher with practical wisdom to offer. Read More
Podcast Émigrés: French Words That Turned English July 16, 2021 Richard Scholar examines the continuing history of untranslated French words in English and asks what these words reveal about the fertile but fraught relationship that England and France have long shared. Read More
Podcast What do the ancients have to teach us? July 15, 2021 Marshall Poe recently had a fascinating conversation with Rob Tempio, the talented editor behind the Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. The books in this series present the timeless and timely ideas of classical thinkers in lively new translations. Read More
Essay Problem solving: The next generation July 15, 2021 The pandemic laid bare how brittle the systems are that we rely on to provide care in the US. Read More
Essay Sarah Fowler on a love of identification guides and sharks July 14, 2021 My first experience of a shark, as a small child, was uncomfortably close up. The shark was rolled up inside a sausage of netting, rather like Tom Kitten in the Tale of Samuel Whiskers. Read More
Essay Jaws, lost sharks, and the legacy of Peter Benchley July 13, 2021 Jaws, the mere mention of the movie conjures up images of a large triangular fin cutting through the water, beneath it a large fearsome-looking toothy shark swimming with a sense of authority, a purpose. Read More
