News articles and commentary on the place of the humanities in the modern world.
DNA and dynasty: tracing history through science (Andrew Curry, National Geographic)
Modern DNA analysis reveals clues to changes in Native American society beginning in the ninth century CE.
Humanities citizens and industrial consumers (Sarah Churchwell, Times Higher Education)
How the humanities may lead us to greater self-knowledge, beyond the demands of the market place.
The humanities at Davos (YaleNews)
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 [...]
Singapore’s sciences require the humanities (Alfred Chua, Today Online)
Singapore's sciences require the humanities: how a leading university understands the need for engineers to train in the humanities. From the article: Technology and innovation may be the twin forces to power Singapore’s new economy [...]
From Bethlehem to Bedlam: classifying the incurables through science (Amanda Ruggeri, BBC Culture)
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 [...]
Historians and health care (Emily Michelson, Times Higher Education)
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 [...]
The busyness of business, the practice of inwardness (R. Hougaard, J. Carter, G. Dybkjaer, Harvard Business Review)
The busyness of business, and the practice of inwardness: how business leaders are profiting from the ancient method of mindfulness, as it leads to more rewarding decisions. From the article: Research has found that mindfulness training alters our [...]
Humanities aid the growth of STEM (Neil Kobitz, Chronicle for Higher Education)
Humanities aid the growth of STEM: a mathematics professor calculates their value, an important formula...when others are now estimating the worth of the NEH as close to zero. From the editorial: ... [F]or STEM majors, as much [...]
How language shapes the minds of infants (Helen Briggs, BBC)
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: [...]
Mocking the humanities (George Will, Pittsburgh Tribune)
Mocking the humanities: a pundit recounts how a scientist used parody -- a classic literary mode of expression -- to mock academic practices in the humanities. From the commentary: Alan Sokal's point ... was that [...]