The Scientific Article: From Galileo's New Science to the Human Genome
From its modest beginnings in seventeenth century Paris and London to its central role in today's online world, the scientific article has been essential to the development of modern science. This article traces the rise of scientific journals, the de...
The Rules of Comedy: Moliere and the Art of Depiction
The French dramatist Molire (1622-73) was blasted by some critics for his realistic portrayals of society's vices. The duty of the artist, said his critics, was to 'select and correct' nature, not to merely duplicate the world as it is. Particularly d...
Religion in the Lives of the Ancient Egyptians
The principles behind ancient Egyptian religion, cosmologies and gods were manifested in symbols and metaphors that were drawn largely from the world around them. Inextricably linked with all aspects of daily life, religion explained the cycles of nat...
The Prophetic Art of Prognosis
With medical technology extending life and expanding treatment options, the physician's ability to provide a prognosis for a patient is every bit as important as the diagnosis. The significance of prognosis and whether and how to deliver it are issues...
The Power of Tiananmen: Intellectual Activity and the Student Movement
In the spring of 1989 over 100,000 students in Beijing initiated the largest student revolt in human history. Television screens across the world filled with searing images from Tiananmen Square of protesters thronging the streets, massive hunger stri...
The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film
Carlo Lorenzini (pen name Collodi) created the puppet who longed to be a boy more than a century ago, yet Pinocchio has lived on, both in popular culture and in literary and filmic versions of the tale. One of the most read books in the world, 'The Ad...
The Origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Since their discovery in the Qumran caves beginning in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have been the object of intense fascination and extreme controversy. In these excerpts from his book Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?: The Search for the Secret of Qumran...
Never Snitch: The Mythology of Harry Potter
The magical exploits of Harry Potter have captured the imagination of kids and adults on both sides of the Atlantic. But the themes that run through the highly original Harry Potter series are not necessarily new. Here, Wendy Doniger, a mythology scho...