Culture

Goya’s Painting of Saturn Devouring His Son: A Study in Damnation 0
- Culture
- August 1, 2018
It’s one of the most horrific images in the history of Western art. As the myth goes, Saturn (or Cronus, as the Greeks called him) was king of the universe, but was warned by a prophecy that one day he would be overthrown by one of his sons, just as he overthrew his father Uranus. To preserve
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Chesterton: Science Is a Tool (or a Toy), Nothing More 0
- Culture
- August 1, 2018
While he was never a teacher, G. K. Chesterton did help instruct his readers about how to think about many things. Far from the least of those things was science. And while he was never a scientist, Chesterton certainly knew something about thinking about science. To be succinct, Chesterton regarded science as either a “tool or a
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Get Rid of College Majors? Not So Fast.0
- Culture
- July 31, 2018
Should college majors be a thing of the past? That idea received a fresh airing when author Jeffrey Selingo suggested that it’s “time to end college majors as we know them.” As a researcher who studies higher education, I concede that something about the way colleges and universities educate students in the United States needs
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Man Changes Gender to Lower Car Insurance Premiums, Saves $1,100 Annually 0
- Culture
- July 31, 2018
A man the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation identified as David–a pseudonym–is saving $91 every month on his car insurance. No, he didn’t switch to Geico. All it took was for David to identify as a woman on government forms. “I have taken advantage of a loophole,” said David, who reportedly is in his early 20s and
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What is a Humanist Wedding and Why is it Becoming Popular?2
- Culture
- July 31, 2018
According to Brides.com, the months from late spring to early fall are generally considered to be “wedding season.” My fellow Alcuin Fellows and I found that we each know roughly half a dozen or so couples that have gotten engaged in the past year, and have noticed the summer wedding trend. A wedding trend that
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The Weak Science Behind the Self-Esteem Movement 0
- Culture
- July 31, 2018
Many want to build their self-esteem and confidence. A Google search reveals over 500 million entries on confidence building. Self-help books and scholarly articles abound. An influential bestseller by Harvard professor Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, was on lists of best business books in 2015 and 2016. If you believe Cuddy’s
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