Richard Prum: How Does Beauty Evolve?
Prum speaks on Darwin’s idea of sexual selection, the importance of arbitrary traits, and why he could never choose a favorite species of bird.
Lee Smolin: Science Works Because We Care to Know the Truth
Lee Smolin speaks on quantum gravity, the nature of time, the role of ethics in science, and the importance of realism.
Jill Lepore: How to Respond to the Crisis of Our Institutions
Lepore talks about presidential deceit, why women are often forgotten by history, and the “epistemological crisis” of our era.
Seymour Hersh on the Future of American Journalism
Hersh talks about his career as an investigative reporter, the fate of online media, and feeble responses to Trump.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: I Became Black in America
Adichie speaks on the meaning of blackness, sexism in Nigeria, and whether the current feminist movement leaves out black women.
Martha Nussbaum: Overcoming Fear, Embracing Democracy
The American philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s new book, The Monarchy of Fear, examines the politics of primal fear in the 2016 election.
Getting a Grip on Slavoj Žižek (with Slavoj Žižek)
The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek is famous for his provocative takes, but how should we understand his basic ideas?
Queering Jack Sheppard
An interview with author Jordy Rosenberg about his mesmerizing novel, Confessions of the Fox.
Michelle Dean: A Sharp Look at Criticism by Women
Dean on the obstacles women face in being taken seriously as intellectuals, feminist infighting, and the importance of being an outsider.
Robert Reich: How to Resurrect the Common Good
Reich talks justice for Wall Street malfeasance, the importance of faith-based communities, the threat of demagoguery, and finding hope in today's youth.