As disÂcussed in this NY Times artiÂcle, HarperÂCollins has made a few of its books availÂable online for free. You can read them from start to finÂish in digÂiÂtal forÂmat. But you can’t downÂload them, and they’ll only be availÂable for a few more weeks. (PreÂsumÂably new books will be made availÂable in the future.) Here’s what you’ll curÂrentÂly find.
This aniÂmatÂed mockÂuÂmenÂtary traces the hisÂtoÂry of evil from Ancient Greece until today. It’s been getÂting some play on the interÂnet this week. And, if anyÂthing, you have to give it points for creÂativÂiÂty. We’ve added it to our YouTube Playlist.
Sir Paul talks about his clasÂsiÂcal album “Ecce Cor Meum” (Behold My Heart). It was perÂformed live at RoyÂal Albert Hall, and it’s now being released on DVD.
Below we have postÂed the last lecÂture that Lawrence Lessig will ever present on Free CulÂture. It’s an area where he has spent the past decade workÂing, and this talk offers an excelÂlent introÂducÂtion to Lessig’s thought and work on this issue. GivÂen at StanÂford on JanÂuÂary 31, the preÂsenÂtaÂtion is one that Steve Jobs could appreÂciÂate. Very well done. So give it a watch below (or here). Also, if you’d like to get free digÂiÂtal copies of Lessig’s major writÂings on Free CulÂture, look here.
As for what Lessig plans to do next. He has talked about comÂbatÂing corÂrupÂtion in WashÂingÂton (someÂthing he talks about here). That’s part of the plan, but he may do it by runÂning for ConÂgress. Read this artiÂcle in the Wall Street JourÂnal and check out the new site: Lessig08.com
Here’s a quick folÂlow up to our post on Susan Jacoby’s new book, The Age of AmerÂiÂcan UnreaÂson. Since the origÂiÂnal post, we have pulled togethÂer some media feaÂturÂing JacoÂby and her views on AmerÂiÂca’s drift toward anti-intelÂlecÂtuÂalÂism.
First, you can watch her recent interÂview with Bill MoyÂers: Video — Mp3 — iTunes — Feed.
Next, lisÂten to this radio proÂgram — “Anti-IntelÂlecÂtuÂalÂism in the US” — that feaÂtures JacoÂby and a panÂel of thinkers: Mp3 — iTunes — Feed — Web site.
LibÂerÂals outÂnumÂber conÂserÂvÂaÂtives in the acadÂeÂmy. That’s a known fact. What explains this diverÂgence? Some have attribÂuted it to libÂerÂals creÂatÂing a hosÂtile enviÂronÂment for conÂserÂvÂaÂtives. But new research calls that view into quesÂtion and offers an intriguÂing alterÂnaÂtive explaÂnaÂtion.
As described in The ChronÂiÂcle of HighÂer EduÂcaÂtion, Matthew WoessÂner (a conÂserÂvÂaÂtive acaÂdÂeÂmÂic) and April KelÂly-WoessÂner (a libÂerÂal acaÂdÂeÂmÂic) looked at surÂveys comÂpletÂed by 15,569 colÂlege seniors, and what an analyÂsis of the data sugÂgests is that “the perÂsonÂal priÂorÂiÂties of those on the left are more comÂpatÂiÂble with purÂsuÂing a Ph.D.” “LibÂerÂalÂism is more closeÂly assoÂciÂatÂed with a desire for exciteÂment, an interÂest in creÂative outÂlets, and an averÂsion to a strucÂtured work enviÂronÂment. ConÂserÂvÂaÂtives express greater interÂest in finanÂcial sucÂcess and stronger desires to raise famÂiÂlies. From this perÂspecÂtive, the ideÂoÂlogÂiÂcal imbalÂance that perÂmeÂates much of acadÂeÂmia may be someÂwhat intractable.” Or, put difÂferÂentÂly, this imbalÂance may not be going away any time soon.
To delve furÂther into their research, you can read their report online here.
There is a lot of pubÂlicÂiÂty this week around Susan Jacoby’s new book, The Age of AmerÂiÂcan UnreaÂson. The new work fits into the traÂdiÂtion of Richard HofÂsÂtadter’s 1963 clasÂsic, Anti-IntelÂlecÂtuÂalÂism in AmerÂiÂcan Life. And it seemÂingÂly moves in the same orbit as Al Gore’s The Assault on ReaÂson (2007). The upshot of Jacoby’s arguÂment is that “AmerÂiÂcans are in seriÂous intelÂlecÂtuÂal trouÂble — in danÂger of losÂing our hard-won culÂturÂal capÂiÂtal to a virÂuÂlent mixÂture of anti-intelÂlecÂtuÂalÂism, anti-ratioÂnalÂism and low expecÂtaÂtions.” As she goes on to say in this op-ed appearÂing in The WashÂingÂton Post, we’re now livÂing in a moment when AmerÂiÂcans are readÂing fewÂer books than ever, and they know stagÂgerÂingÂly litÂtle about the world: Only 23 perÂcent of AmerÂiÂcans with some colÂlege eduÂcaÂtion can idenÂtiÂfy Iraq, Iran, SauÂdi AraÂbia and Israel on a map, even though the US has a tremenÂdous amount at stake there. (Source: NY Times book review.) And one fifth of AmerÂiÂcan adults think that the sun revolves around the Earth. This is all pretÂty bad. But what makes matÂters worse is the “alarmÂing numÂber of AmerÂiÂcans who have smugÂly conÂcludÂed that they do not need to know such things in the first place.” IgnoÂrance has someÂhow strangeÂly gone from vice to virtue.
What are the soluÂtions? I guess you’ll have to get the book, or get milÂlions of your friends to read Open CulÂture (wink).
UPDATE: You can catch Bill MoyÂers’ interÂview with Susan JacoÂby here: video — mp3 — iTunes — feed. This will let you take a closÂer look at Jacoby’s arguÂment. Thanks Muriel for the tip!
At least in AmerÂiÂca, Charles DarÂwin has become the favorite whipÂping boy for many funÂdaÂmenÂtalÂists on the right. In one neat packÂage, you get in DarÂwin all things deplorable. A godÂless “secÂuÂlar humanÂist” who denied the sancÂtiÂty of humanÂiÂty, God’s provÂiÂdence, and the integriÂty of the Bible. What more could you love to hate?
SomeÂwhere lost in today’s culÂture wars is the real Charles DarÂwin. Aired first in OctoÂber, this proÂgram, proÂduced by AmerÂiÂcan PubÂlic MediÂa’s SpeakÂing of Faith (MP3 — iTunes — Feed — Web Site), revisÂits DarÂwin’s life & thought with James Moore, a CamÂbridge UniÂverÂsiÂty scholÂar who has writÂten DarÂwin: The Life of a TorÂmentÂed EvoÂluÂtionÂist. And here’s the picÂture that we get. Like many imporÂtant sciÂenÂtists who came before him — Galileo, CoperÂniÂcus and NewÂton — DarÂwin believed that sciÂence could help explain the laws of nature creÂatÂed by God. FurÂther, he saw his OriÂgin of Species as describÂing the forms of life that owed their exisÂtence to God’s law — a law that expressed itself in natÂurÂal selecÂtion. ReadÂers will find that DarÂwin’s text is litÂtered with refÂerÂences to creÂation. And DarÂwin, himÂself, was notÂed for sayÂing that when he wrote the book, his faith in God was as strong as that of a bishÂop, although his faith did wane latÂter in life. SimÂply put, DarÂwin was hardÂly the eneÂmy of reliÂgion that many conÂsidÂer him today.
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