From History of Philosophy Quarterly, Eric Schwitzgebel (UC-Riverside): Human Nature and Moral Education in Mencius, Xunzi, Hobbes, and Rousseau pdf. Ernest Young (UT-Austin): The Constitution Outside the Constitution. From German Law Journal, a review of David Kennedy's Of War and Law; a review of Law After Auschwitz: Towards a Jurisprudence of the Holocaust; a review of The Social Construction of Free Trade: The European Union, NAFTA, and Mercosur. A review of State Constitutions for the Twentieth Century, Volumes 1-3.
From ZMag, against and beyond the State: An interview with John Holloway. A review of Warriors into Workers: The Civil War and the Formation of Urban-Industrial Society in a Northern City. Garth Cartwright finds the reality of gypsy life a far cry from the myth perpetuated by musicians and film-makers.
From American Scientist, an interview with Douglas R. Hofstadter, author of I Am a Strange Loop. From New Scientist, a tiny brown speck of tobacco is a 400-year-old national treasure, one that is helping archaeologists uncover the story of the birth of America.
From Smithsonian, what will make you happy? An interview with Daniel Gilbert on why it's so hard to predict. From Soundings, human happiness and the stationary state: David Purdy argues that it is time for rich countries to stop seeking further economic growth; The politics of well-being: Hetan Shah argues that the politics of well-being contains powerful insights which can inform the left across a range of issues, but there are also potential pitfalls; a good-enough life: Fiona Williams argues that a political ethic of care offers a new way of dealing with contemporary changes in family lives and family policies; and Pat Kane on the power of play. A review of Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America. From Comment, an essay on vocations, vacations, and politics in public.
From Portfolio, chaos is underrated: In The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb excoriates the delusions of economists and their ilk. More on Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan. Pop! Daniel Gross on why bubbles are great for the economy, a look at the most amazing bubble promoters of all time, and take the Bubble Quiz: How much do you know about irrational exuberance?
From The Situationist, an article on the situation of our food (and part 2 and part 3). Buyer Be Wary: An article on the peculiar American habit of demonizing food. From Science News, a grove of evolutionary trees: "Trees of life" show patterns of evolutionary descent, and they fit together mathematically to form an abstract forest. And from Britannica, the Pit Bull Debate: We should try to answer some questions: Why does a dog attack a human in the first place? What do we mean by ”pit bull”? What are pit bulls really like, and how did they get a reputation as a vicious dogs
