About 10,000 years ago, humans in the Fertile Crescent began tilling soil and cultivating crops. Why they began doing this we’ll likely never know for certain. But compelling evidence suggests it was related to the discovery of the process of fermentation and, more specifically, beer. Nearly 30 years ago, Solomon Katz, a University of Pennsylvania
READ MORE
Until recently, Princeton University’s devotion to Woodrow Wilson was so pervasive and worshipful that visitors to campus might easily have mistaken the modernist parthenon housing the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for a literal temple. If nothing else, the black students demanding that my alma mater strip the segregationist president’s name from
READ MORE
The 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that human beings tend to be evil. He wasn’t talking about some guy rubbing his hands and crowing with glee at the prospect of torturing an enemy. He was thinking about the basic human tendency to succumb to what we want to do instead of what we ought to
READ MORE
The year 2016 will be remembered for two stunning developments: the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president. Both of these events have been described (correctly) as a populist revolt against globalization. As scholars at the Brookings Institute noted, “It is worth emphasizing that a resistance to globalization
READ MORE
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, children are raised collectively in institutions rather than nurtured by their mothers. In fact, motherhood is frowned upon. I was reminded of this last week, when Kellyanne Conway announced her decision not to accept a White House position in order to be with her children. Conway had to endure the
READ MORE
There’s a popular internet meme that says, “In a world full of Kardashians be a Grace,” referencing the classic style tastes of the late actress Grace Kelly. Queen’s University Belfast, a prestigious college in Ireland, recently made the same recommendation to its students in an article on what to wear for their graduation ceremony. Those
READ MORE
Most Read from past 24 hours
Most Read from past 7 days
Most Read from past 30 days
Most Read of All Time
Most Read of All Time
