Category: Great Questions

David Green on Core and the canon

March 28, 2014 at 11:42 am

Prompted by Dean Sapiro’s lecture on Mary Wollstonecraft to question why there are so few women authors in the Core Humanities, Prof. David Green had his CC 202 students this week  momentarily put aside Pride and Prejudice and the question of whether happiness in marriage is a matter of chance to consider the criteria for […]

By zakbos | Also posted in Academics, Core Authors, Great Ideas | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

What would Plato Tweet?

March 25, 2014 at 9:04 am

With cerebral momentum from yesterday’s post on why philosophy won’t go away, let’s move on to another question raised by the same author, Rebecca Goldstein: what would Plato Tweet? Goldstein likens the modern social media attention-seeking frenzy to the ancient Greek striving for kleos, which, as students will remember from CC101, is somewhat equivalent to “glory”. […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Community, Great Ideas, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Why philosophy won’t go away

March 24, 2014 at 2:44 pm

Are you living an examined life? No, really, are you? In between texting while walking, daydreaming while note-taking, scrolling while sleeping, and sleeping while strolling, are you living an examined life? It’s ok if you are not. Few are. But it’s an important question to ask oneself, and that’s why philosophy matters. Clancy Martin, in […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Academics, Core Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

The Downsides of Everyone Being a Critic

February 21, 2014 at 5:41 pm

Not everyone is as lucky as those of us in Core. Very few can boast such an encompassing grasp of great works as we can; even less learn how to talk about these works, yet we, also, are able to hold a conversation with the best of them concerning Suicide, The Republic, any of the […]

By fegoss01 | Also posted in Future of the Book, Other Publications, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

“It’s over, book… you’re an inferior technology”

February 21, 2014 at 4:37 pm

An amusing comic strip, on how we choose to read: An interesting read may be our article From Scroll to Screen.

By mdimov | Also posted in Art, Future of the Book, Tuesday Humor | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

What is wrong with TED talks?

February 5, 2014 at 10:24 pm

Do you like TED talks? Some address issues relevant to the Core, including literature, art, theater, music, education, and choice of curriculum. Many of the talks can be informative and inspiring. However, Benjamin Bratton, a theorist in philosophy, art and design, raises an important point in his TED talk, titled What’s Wrong With TED Talks? He tackles what […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Vermeer & his photo-realism

December 4, 2013 at 2:24 pm

Related to CC201’s study of Rembrandt is the mysterious work of Johannes Vermeer, another painter of the Dutch Golden Age. His photo-realism has been a topic of debate – how did he achieve it? Vanity Fair offers some recent speculation. Here is a sample: Despite occasional speculation over the years that an optical device somehow enabled […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Art, Core Lecturers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Jay Samons & ‘What follows Democracy?’

November 1, 2013 at 10:00 am

Prof. Samons gave his famous Trireme lecture last Tuesday – a most exciting highlight of CC101 according to our alumni! Refresh your memory with some select quotes from previous years: “Triremes were built to kill. You can’t have fun on a trireme. You can’t water-ski behind one. You can’t hold an afternoon BBQ on one. […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Academics, Announcements, Community, Core Lecturers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Machiavelli: still shocks 5 centuries later

October 29, 2013 at 10:00 am

CC201 has started off the semester by dabbling, among other things, in Machiavelli’s The Prince. Many were acquainted with the work from their high school years, and many were not – all admit it remains potent and relevant today. This post for The National Interest highlights the way in which The Prince still shocks today. A sample: […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Academics, Curriculum, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Maths & Science: popular until tasted

October 28, 2013 at 2:26 pm

Relating to the frustratingly constant and reliable doubts that some students feel toward their majors, is an article from the Wall Street Journal discussing the choice of field. Their claim is that mathematics and science majors are relatively popular – until of course, students realize ‘what they are in for’. Here is an excerpt: The researchers […]

By mdimov | Also posted in Academics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)