Science & Technology

"The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not." — Gertrude Stein

Eugenics and the Modern Synthesis, Part II
For the Legacies of Eugenics series, Jessica Riskin continues to explore how the neo-Darwinian ‘modern synthesis’ was simply nonsense.
Jessica RiskinMar 24
Eugenics and the Modern Synthesis, Part I
For the Legacies of Eugenics series, Jessica Riskin explores how the neo-Darwinian idea of ‘modern synthesis’ tried to fuse eugenics, genetics, and evolution as three aspects of the same science.
Jessica RiskinMar 23
Desperate Efficiency
Bruce Holsinger discusses AI ethics, collective accountability, and his newest novel.
Tess PollokMar 19
- Fiction
- Science & Technology
Death by Optimization
How healthcare apps and platforms distance us from care.
Hilary C. RobinsonMar 18
- Science & Technology
Untidy Feminist Entanglements
In the 13th essay of the Legacies of Eugenics series, Margaret R. Eby shows how, during feminism’s first wave, white women physicians became the unlikely standard-bearers of eugenics.
Margaret R. EbyMar 15
Doing Someone Else’s Crossword
The Francis Crick of Matthew Cobb’s new biography was both the consummate insider and a scientific outlier.
Angela N. H. CreagerMar 6
- Science & Technology
- Biography & Autobiography
Sadism as Psychotherapy
Jon Stock’s recent book examines the deplorable career of prominent psychiatrist Willam Sargant and his brand of bio-therapeutics.
Andrew ScullMar 4
- Science & Technology
- History
Can the Internet Be Saved?
After troubleshooting Tim Berners-Lee’s memoir, it becomes clear that the internet’s flaws were there from the start.
Nicholas CarrFeb 28
- Science & Technology
- History
Making a Literary Future with Artificial Intelligence
Five writers and AI researchers discuss the future of literature.
Dashiel Carrera, Katy Gero, Christian Bök, Nick Montfort, Amy CatanzanoFeb 14
- Science & Technology
- Literary Criticism
Monsters of the Anthropocene
Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ reduces Mary Shelley’s novel to a one-dimensional warning about technological hubris.
Deborah R. CoenFeb 9
Medical Education and the Harm of ‘Goodly Heritage’
In the 12th essay of the Legacies of Eugenics series, three researchers describe how eugenic ideas linger in the institutions and practices of contemporary healthcare.
Daniel Martinez HoSang, Marco Antonio Ramos, Alana SlavinFeb 8
The End of Psychiatry (Kind Of)
Neurologist Pria Anand lauds Khameer Kidia’s new dissection of Western psychiatric imperialism.
Pria AnandFeb 3
- Science & Technology
- Cultural Studies