Lilya Kaganovsky, How the Soviet Man Was (Un)made.

Who was that masked man?

Stephen Gaukroger’s new biography of Descartes is a major accomplishment. Gaukroger offers the reader an overview of Descartes’ life and works, with healthy doses of intellectual background thrown in for good measure. It should have a major impact on Cartesian studies, both within the history of philosophy and within the history of science. As Gaukroger’s full title makes clear, this is suppose...

Who Was That Masked Man?

Each year more than 1,400 children die as motor vehicle passengers, and an additional 280,000 are injured. Despite these horrifying figures, parents are still allowing their children to ride unrestrained. More disturbing is the fact that of children who are buckled up, roughly half are restrained incorrectly—increasing the risk of serious or fatal injuries. Tragically, most of these injuries co...

Literary Culture: "New Soviet Man" in the Mirror of Literature

How the quest was won

Not long after Jim Watson's The Double Helix appeared, there was talk about making a movie about the DNA story. The author of the book took this very seriously and did not find all the many suggestions made to him very helpful. One idea put forward was that Jim should be played by Woody Allen and Francis Crick by Peter O'Toole. Another was to do it as a musical with a dance based on the entwini...

How Infectious Was #Deflategate?

On Monday January 19, 2015 a story broke that the National Football League (NFL) had started an investigation into whether the New England Patriots deliberately deflated the footballs they used during their championship win over the Indianapolis Colts. Like an infectious disease, discussion regarding Deflategate grew rapidly on social media sites in the hours and days after the release of the s...