Into the Trenches Once More
Context with Brad Harris
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Urban Versus Rural
Context with Brad Harris
There’s a lot that’s dividing Americans right now - lots of divisive narratives that have captivated lots of people. One of those narratives features the apparent widening political divide between urban and rural culture. But, the truth is that the evolution of America’s urban and rural communities has always been symbiotic.
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Notes On Tribalism
Context with Brad Harris
"Notes on Nationalism" was an essay written by George Orwell in 1945, just as World War II was ending. It caused quite a stir at the time, but most people these days have never heard of it. Nonetheless, "Notes on Nationalism" remains one of the most powerful examples of Orwell's timeless insight into human nature; in this case, focused on our instinct to gang up on each other, our instinct for tribalism.
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The Fate of Universities
Context with Brad Harris
Like many others, I’ve begun to worry about the fate of higher education in American society.
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Explaining Postmodernism: A Conversation with Stephen Hicks
Context with Brad Harris
Postmodernism planted the seeds of the illiberalism that's erupting throughout our society today. The battle of ideas postmodern thinking provokes could very well determine the fate of liberal democracy our lifetime.
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Escaping the Cycle of History
Context with Brad Harris
"History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes."
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Reflections from A Distant Mirror
Context with Brad Harris
Plague, political chaos, the looming prospect of another civil war... what century are we in?
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2+2=5
Context with Brad Harris
I went slightly mad producing this episode. But then, the line between our reality and the fiction of 1984 has become far too blurry for my comfort.
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All Things Being Equal
Context with Brad Harris
One of the worst features of our society, we are told, is wealth inequality. But, what is the historical truth about wealth inequality?
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Approximating Perfection
Context with Brad Harris
The history of calculus may seem irrelevant to most of our going concerns, but as author and mathematician Strogatz shows, the spirit of calculus expresses one of the best ideas humanity has ever had: greatness is not to be found in the end, but in the effort.
info_outlineLike many others, I’ve begun to worry about the fate of higher education in American society.
Having spent most of my professional life in academia, my instinct is to regard the university system as sacred - as Wisdom’s Workshop, to borrow the historian James Axtell’s recent book title.
Liberal democracy relies on a very well educated citizenry. And, modern civilization more generally relies on a significant number of us possessing hard-earned historical perspective on what is true and what is good, and hard-earned scientific perspective on the full reach of human potential.
Any threat to the university system should worry us. Today, there appear to be multiple, and the most frustrating thing of it is... those threats seem to be mostly self-imposed.
In this episode, I highlight those threats and explore the history behind the legacy of modern knowledge.
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