Science and (the absence of) happiness: to what degree do science and technology condition our sense of happiness? During the last few generations humankind has made an extraordinary advance in the natural sciences and in their technological application and has established humanity's control over nature in a way never before imagined.... People are proud of these achievements, [...]
How the humanities may lead us to greater self-knowledge, beyond the demands of the market place.
Combining medical insights with ancient texts to understand past diseases. Francesco Galassi, a paleopathographist, explains its promise: Palaeopathography is a unique opportunity for palaeopathology, since it allows the investigation of symptoms and signs of diseases, vital for medicine, yet unavailable when only studying ancient bones or mummies. This is especially viable with famous historical figures [...]
The humanities at Davos: Yale's President Peter Salovey, a scholar of emotional intelligence, speaks at the World Economic Forum about the place of humanities. From the article: Speaking at the reception ... Salovey emphasized the ways that the humanities can promote understanding, such as how the study of languages can provide insights into a culture, reading literature can [...]
Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life David Attenborough wrote and narrated this informative documentary
The lily and the river: how much do we presume about our knowledge of the future, and how firmly rooted is our knowledge of our origins? Two fables from Renaissance scientists and polymaths: The lily set itself on the bank of the river Ticino, and the current swept away both the bank and the lily. Leonardo da [...]
From Bethlehem to Bedlam: classifying the incurables through science. What was founded as a place open to those in need became a palatial institution that housed those deemed mentally unsound. From the article: By the 17th Century, the asylum was well-known enough to appear in numerous Jacobean dramas and ballads. Often – as in Shakespeare’s plays [...]
Historians and health care: how the humanities can heal, body and soul. From the article: From my particular hospital bed, it seemed increasingly, blindingly clear how much humanities and sciences – in this case history and medicine – truly complemented each other. As Gretchen Busl wrote last year, training in the humanities teaches us “the language necessary [...]
The highest mode of life: a proposal from 2500 years ago, relevant today in all dimensions. If on the other hand I tell you that to let no day pass without discussing goodness [aretês] and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining both myself and others is really the very [...]
How language shapes the minds of infants: our early listening, in our mother tongue, stays with us throughout our lives. More evidence on the fundamental power of language in our cultural development. From the article: ''Please remember that [the] language learning process occurs very early in life, and useful language knowledge is laid down in [...]
