Curated Video
Morality's Origins
Primatologist Frans de Waal (Emory) argues that our essential moral tendencies are already within us as a product of evolution.
Curated Video
Missing the Jokes?
David Bellos, Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University, suggests that the celebrated English comic tradition might simply be a result of translation.
Curated Video
Making Sense of ISIS
Historian Nile Green (UCLA) describes how adopting the model of religious economy allows us to make better sense of the difference between all manner of violent and non-violent religious sects.
Curated Video
Making Science Policy
Legal scholar Nita Farahany (Duke) describes the strengths and weaknesses of different governmental advisory bodies.
Curated Video
Making Decisions
Political scientist Mark Bevir (UC Berkeley) describes how decisions in the social sciences necessarily involve interpreting intentionality.
Curated Video
Losing The Sharp Edges
Sign language linguist Carol Padden describes how smaller languages are often much more impenetrable to outsiders than larger languages, due to a combination of grammatical structure and common sense of reference.
Curated Video
Lessons from the Past
Author and independent scholar Pankaj Mishra describes his motivations to inform people of past societies and individuals who have already addressed many of the issues we are grappling with.
Curated Video
Legal Rationale
Philosopher Scott Soames (USC) presents us with a methodology for developing an appropriate legal interpretation in the face of vagueness.
Curated Video
Judaism and Identity
David Goldberg, Former Senior Rabbi Emeritus of London’s Liberal Jewish Synagogue tackles the thorny question, Who is a Jew?
Curated Video
Jewish Values
Rabbi Emeritus David J. Goldberg describes two core values that he believes to have been associated with the Jewish people over the past three and a half thousand years: freedom and justice.
Curated Video
Changing Societal Values
Political scientist Mark Bevir (UC Berkeley) examines the evolution of societal values, taking as an example our notions of sexuality.
Curated Video
YouTube ASL
Linguist Carol Padden (UC San Diego), reflects on how technology might affect the future use of sign languages.
Curated Video
Worldly Protestants
Historian David Hollinger (UC Berkeley) describes the Ecumenical Protestant movement and how it can be distinguished from its Evangelical counterpart.
Curated Video
Willful Ignorance
Author and independent scholar Pankaj Mishra describes how many Eastern ideas and perspectives have been routinely ignored by the West.
Curated Video
Walking in Another's Shoes
Author and independent scholar Pankaj Mishra describes the importance of looking at matters from others points of view, even if we strongly disagree with the eventual outcome.
Curated Video
Vietnam's Shadow
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) describes how the experience of the Vietnam War affected his research on classical Athens.
Curated Video
Universal English
David Bellos, Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University, describes his search for a “middle form” between British and American English.
Curated Video
Universal Education
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) reminisces on the personal importance of accessible, high-level university education.
Curated Video
Understanding Incentives
Legal scholar Emilie Hafner-Burton (UCSD) discusses the importance of understanding the incentives of those who commit human rights abuses.
Curated Video
Truth and Totalitarianism
Historian Martin Jay (UC Berkeley) discusses how it is dangerous in politics to believe that we should be heading towards some version of absolute truth.
Curated Video
Translational Advice
Chinese scholar and literary translator Michael Berry (UCLA) gives some key pointers to young translators.
Curated Video
Translation and Turf
David Bellos, Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University, argues that scholars who look down upon reading literature in translation are really trying to protect their own academic turf.
Curated Video
Translating Humor
David Bellos, Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University, describes false stereotypes, and challenges, associated with translating humor.
Curated Video
Towards An Open Debate
Historian David Hollinger (UC Berkeley) relates his frustration of having religious beliefs being simultaneously private and independent of the American political culture.