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Author Archives: dwescott
For Émile Durkheim, son of a rabbi, religion anchored his life and work.
For Émile Durkheim, son of a rabbi, religion anchored his life and work. But faith was less about a set of ideas than a force for social cohesion… more»
Posted in New Books
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Gunther von Hagens, the man behind “Body Worlds,
Gunther von Hagens, the man behind “Body Worlds,” now finds that his own body is failing him. Dr. Death contemplates his own mortality… more»
Posted in Articles of Note
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The guerrilla paradox. Irregular fighters often
The guerrilla paradox. Irregular fighters often humble richer and more-advanced foes. Then they tend to do something silly: adopt conventional tactics… more»
Posted in Essays and Opinion
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Hissing, clanking, buzzing. Human history can
Hissing, clanking, buzzing. Human history can be studied aurally – assuming, of course, that we don’t lose our hearing in the effort… more»
Posted in New Books
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Virginia Woolf’s Orlando – all sex changes
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando – all sex changes, cross-dressing, transgressive desire – is the most joyful of her books. It also liberated her prose style… more»
Posted in Articles of Note
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Modern life, we’re told, is out of sync with human evolution.
Modern life, we’re told, is out of sync with human evolution. Thus the paleo diet and other fads – all belying the way evolution actually works… more»
Posted in Essays and Opinion
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In search of timeless art.
In search of timeless art. Hear a song over and over again: the magic fades, the melody grates. What if you discovered an immortal song, painting, poem, novel?…more»
Posted in Essays and Opinion
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From time to time, the god of fiction deserts Ian McEwan.
From time to time, the god of fiction deserts Ian McEwan. His disbelief won’t – can’t! – be suspended. Then a detail, a phrase, a story returns him to the fold…more»
Posted in Essays and Opinion
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Ray Kurzweil wants to reverse-engineer the human brain
Ray Kurzweil wants to reverse-engineer the human brain. It’s a fetching idea to some; malevolently far-fetched to others… more»
Posted in New Books
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Anti-Judaism, which has always been at the center of Wes
Anti-Judaism, which has always been at the center of Western civilization, flourishes even without Jews, since its target is not people but an idea… more»
Posted in New Books
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