Rabbi Emeritus David J. Goldberg relates the irrational side of the human condition, how he has more in common with moderates of other religions than he does with extremists of his own, and the constant tensions between particularism and...

Chinese scholar and literary translator Michael Berry (UCLA) describes differences between simplified and traditional Chinese characters and the politics associated with both.

Legal scholar Emilie Hafner-Burton (UCSD) discusses the lack of general awareness surrounding much of the international human rights system.

Philosopher Brian Epstein (Tufts University) relates his concern that many agent-based models are based on a flawed assumption of what the social world actually consists of.

UCLA Chinese cultural studies expert Michael Berry describes how the editor plays a key, and often overlooked role, in the process of bringing a translated work of literature to the public.

Historian David Hollinger (UC Berkeley) describes the Ecumenical Protestant movement and its huge impact on American cultural and political life.

Elyn Saks, Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at USC, describes her own instrument for informed consent and how it differs from the MacArthur instrument.

Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego), describes her early experience with transformative sign language linguist Bill Stokoe.

Philosopher Brian Epstein (Tufts University) argues that the social world cannot be explained through individuals alone.

Author and independent scholar author Pankaj Mishra gives his views on whether the East and the West have a fundamentally different set of values.

Historian Martin Jay (UC Berkeley) discusses how our consistent complaint that politicians lie more today than in the past doesn't bear up to historical scrutiny.

Historian Nile Green (UCLA) cites the model of religious economy as a counter-argument to classical Weberian secularization theory.

Renowned polymath and physicist Freeman Dyson (Institute for Advanced Study) describes how the so-called "militant atheist" movement leads to intolerance and extremism.Reno

Historian Nile Green (UCLA) describes how using a sometimes provocative new language to describe what we think we already know forces us to broaden our understanding.

Philosopher Brian Epstein (Tufts University) relates how he became interested in the study of the social world.

Ben Nelson (Minerva) describes how as the modern university increasingly moves from the broader goal of intellectual development to mere “knowledge dissemination”, it descends a slippery slope to irrelevance.

Award-winning author Pankaj Mishra describes how his outlook to life has been irrevocably affected by a deep sense of crisis that is common to many people who grow up in Asia.

Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego) describes her experience as a hard of hearing child being placed in a local public school and the effect that it had on her.

Primatologist Frans de Waal (Emory) discusses how a wealth of primate studies suggest that our sense of fairness does not derive from logical reflection or reason, but is a product of evolution.

Legal scholar Nita Farahany (Duke) describes an unexpected area where neuroscience is having an impact in legal proceedings.

Andrew Hoffman, Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, discusses the public perception of climate change.

Ben Nelson (Minerva) describes how one of his greatest accomplishments as CEO of the tech company Snapfish turned out to be completely accidental.

Award-winning author Pankaj Mishra describes his personal experiences of growing up in Asia while being disproportionately affected by Western cultural, philosophical and economic considerations.

Historian and social anthropologist Nile Green, UCLA, describes why he uses the model of “religious economy” as an “anti-rhetoric” to deliberately get people to think about religion and core religious principles in a new and different way.