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Category Archives: Essays and Opinion
Barbed gift of leisure
Free time, time not dedicated to work, is dangerous because it forces us to decide what to do with it. When leisure is robot-enabled, the danger is double… more»
Anti-Judaism
Within a few hundred years of Jesus’ death, the language of anti-Judaism was pervasive among Christian intellectuals. We are still absorbing the implications… more»
John Jeremiah Sullivan on animals
Animals, said Descartes, “eat without pleasure, cry without pain, grow without knowing it; they desire nothing, fear nothing, know nothing.” A century of science says otherwise… more»
The business of literature
The business of literature is chaotic. Always been that way. Technology evolves, but the question remains: What is the value of a book?… more»
Do-it-yourself language
Inventing a language is arduous, even preposterous. Yet invented languages are ubiquitous. What’s the motivation? Ego, sure, but mostly dissatisfaction… more»
On Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn had a flair for the theatrical and a knack for engaging audiences. As a thinker, however, he was lazy, conventional, and sloppy… more»
Betrayal of Hitchens’s publisher
Nick Cohen has a warning for lefties: Beware of Verso. The company may offer to publish you. But good luck getting royalties, or escaping with your reputation intact… more»
On Friedrich Schiller
At 14, Friedrich Schiller was sent to a military academy. The atmosphere was oppressive. Rape, betrayal, imprisonment. They became themes in his work… more»
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On Hilary Putnam
Philosophers, like politicians, get flak for changing their minds. So what? says Hilary Putnam. His only commitment is to noncommitment… more»
On Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz was a charismatic lecturer, craven racist, staunch anti-Darwinist. He was also brilliant. Harvard didn’t give him a job; it built him a school… more»