From The Intercollegiate Review, a symposium on 20 Years since The Closing of the American Mind, including R. V. Young on The University Possessed Peter Augustine Lawler on The Socratic Philosopher and the American Individual and Wilfred McClay on Recovering the Western Soul; a review of My Life Among the Deathworks: Illustrations of the Aesthetics of Authority by Phillip Rieff; a review of The Strange Death of Marxism: The European Left in the New Millennium by Paul Edward Gottfried; and a review of The Conservative Soul by Andrew Sullivan. An article on James Q. Wilson and the power of his written word: His thoughts have left an indelible impression on Los Angeles and the nation.
From The Chronicle, The Nature of Foul Matter: In a new monthly column, Rachel Toor explores the writing and publishing process in academe. From New Statesman, when politicians use their brains: Peter Wilby on telling the truth about grammar schools. A review of Exposing the Great White North: Whiteness, Privilege and Identity in Education in Canada. As a former college president, John McCardell knows all about binge drinking on campuses. What he wants to do about it might surprise you.
From Al-Ahram, who built the pyramids? The Giza Plateau Mapping Project is searching for the human hand in the construction of these powerful symbols of remote antiquity which have intrigued and fascinated people for generations. An all-inclusive field school supported by the American Research Center in Egypt with a USAID grant is heralding a new age for Egyptology and other disciplines. A review of After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire by John Darwin. Mutiny of the aristocrats: The English civil war was about defending noble power rather than democratic ideas, The Noble Revolt argues. More on A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr. A look at the Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of the World from the World Values Survey.
The true mysteries of mathematics lie at the limits of our thinking - infinity. Reach beyond what you think is possible and you start to explore the wonders of maths at the extremes. The planet hunters: The search for alien life is yielding weird new worlds at a remarkable rate. Biologists always thought life required the Sun's energy, until they found an ecosystem that thrives in complete darkness. The Language of the Bees: An interview with Hugh Raffles. Macaques can do sums based on probability, if they have enough time and the promise of a drink afterwards. Kids can add and subtract without arithmetic: Knowing how to count lets kindergartners do arithmetic before they learn its rules. Smell is the most mysterious of the five senses - scientists are still not exactly sure how the nose decodes odors. Horsemen of the Esophagus: Among the super-gluttons, on the front lines of competitive eating.
