Science & Technology

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

The Ghosts of Cambridge
Alex Langstaff reviews Jill Lepore’s “If Then” about the Cold War origins of computational data mining and its seedy alliance with behavioral psychology.
Alex LangstaffDec 7, 2020
Peak Brain: The Metaphors of Neuroscience
Henry Cowles describes how our technologies anchor our metaphors, which in turn anchor how we think about the brain — and ourselves.
Henry M. CowlesNov 30, 2020
- History
- Science & Technology
A Modest Proposal for Building the Future
Alex Pang thinks he should hate Lee Vinsel and Andrew Russell’s book “The Innovation Delusion.” Instead, he wholeheartedly agrees with their main points.
Alex Soojung-Kim PangNov 23, 2020
Fossils Waiting to Be: On Stoicism in the Anthropocene
Max Norman follows "Footprints," the new book by David Farrier.
Max NormanNov 16, 2020
- Philosophy & Religion
- Science & Technology
De Melancholia
Michael S. Roth dissects "The Anatomy of Grief," the new book by Dorothy P. Holinger.
Michael S. RothNov 15, 2020
- Philosophy & Religion
- Science & Technology
Foggy Notions
W. Patrick McCray on “Rational Fog” by historian M. Susan Lindee. It addresses how “scientific knowledge and military applications meet, maraud, and maim.”
W. Patrick McCrayNov 9, 2020
Childhood: Sifting Facts from Fad-Driven Fancy
Reviewing “The Origins of You,” John G. Simmons touches on issues like how much parents matter and how insights from genetics are revamping old theories.
John Galbraith SimmonsNov 8, 2020
- Science & Technology
Getting into Good Medical Trouble
Historian of Medicine Richard Mizelle shows us why John Lewis’s call for getting into “good trouble” needs to be applied to the medical profession.
Richard M. Mizelle Jr.Nov 6, 2020
Quantified Life: An Interview with Sun-ha Hong
Emily Watlington interviews Sun-ha Hong about our data fantasies.
Emily WatlingtonOct 26, 2020
Making Art Do Work
Reviewing W. Patrick McCray’s “Making Art Work,” Peter Sachs Collopy argues it can be read as a history of how art became managerial in the 1960s and ’70s
Peter Sachs CollopyOct 22, 2020
Evolution Wars: The Saga Continues
Jessica Riskin offers a revisionist history of evolutionary biology.
Jessica RiskinOct 20, 2020
- History
- Science & Technology
There’s Something About These Dolphins
Patrick House on the difference between reality and virtual reality, and what it means for identity, memory, autobiography, and therapy.
Patrick HouseOct 19, 2020
- Philosophy & Religion
- Science & Technology