Alex Langstaff is interested in how metaphors influence the important decisions we take in life. He is a PhD candidate and lecturer in history at New York University and Cooper Union. Current projects include the social science origins of Cold War 'containment' policy in Eastern Europe, the cultural history of games that simulate war, and the translation of Merab Mamardashvili. He writes at places like Artforum magazine, the JHI blog and LARB.