Standing Athwart E-History

Posted: Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The critic Lee Siegel has embarked on an unenviable venture: challenging the pieties of contemporary Internet culture. In Mr. Siegel's rendering, the Internet promotes a form of cultural obesity -- its vastness, often heralded as an unparalleled good, now threatens our intellectual health.  [Full Story]

Hillary's 'Mommy-Knows-Best' Progressivism

Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Hillary Clinton's campaign for president has eviscerated the decades-old feminist claim that the fairer sex would transform politics, writes Christine Rosen. Voters drawn to a therapeutic, inspiring rhetoric of hope are turning to the other Democratic candidate this year. "It's no wonder the doyenne of daytime empathy and connection - Oprah - is stumping for Obama."  [Full Story]

Heaven Help Us: Stars Expound on Scripture

Posted: Monday, February 4, 2008
In a culture awash in celebrity endorsements, it was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized the value of branding the Bible.   [Full Story]

Parenting in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2007
Every movement needs a meliorist. In Ronald Green, an ethicist at Dartmouth College, proponents of genetic engineering have found an eager one.  [Full Story]

Which Way to the Damascus Road?
The modern conversion narrative seems less convincing.
Posted: Monday, November 19, 2007
Given the recent attention garnered by the "new atheism" and its spokesmen, it was only a matter of time before a defector emerged from within the ranks. Enter Antony Flew. A lifelong outspoken atheist and Oxford philosophy professor, Mr. Flew recently published a book, There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, outlining his journey away from unbelief.  [Full Story]

The Web As Knitting Circle

Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2007
Our culture's insatiable techno-enthusiasm ensures that the burden of proof is on critics of technology to prove harm. As we begin to see more real-world lawsuits based on virtual activities (one recent case involved the activities of avatars in the online game Second Life), we will have to explore how our immersion in virtual space is changing our behavior -- and how the law should deal with this.  [Full Story]

More, But Not Merrier

Posted: Monday, October 8, 2007
To an increasing degree, we find and form our friendships and communities in the virtual world as well as the real world. These virtual networks greatly expand our opportunities to meet others, but they do so by emphasizing quantity over quality.  [Full Story]

Bleak Mythology
From eugenics to unicorns, one museum's history.
Posted: Friday, July 6, 2007
The American Museum of Natural History's recently opened exhibit, "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids," has enjoyed brisk attendance and largely positive press attention. But in an age of abysmal science literacy what does the museum's decision to focus on make-believe monsters tell us about this venerable institution?   [Full Story]

Blessed With a Genius for Publicity

Posted: Monday, June 4, 2007
Within hours of the Rev. Jerry Falwell's death in early May, the media had mobilized to produce obituaries, reflections and not a few angry rants about the founder of the Moral Majority, sometimes treating him as if he were a rare and revolutionary figure. But it is fair to say that Mr. Falwell was only the latest of a long line of pulpit-borne celebrities eager to re-moralize a sinful society.  [Full Story]

What Lies Within
New views of nascent life.
Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007
[Full Story]