IB Theory of Knowledge - an ongoing list of interesting finds

In his piece, published in The Guardian, photojournalist Souvid Datta visits refugee camps, the front line, and spends time with Yazidi female fighters.  An insightful look at the effects of ongoing conflict via an artistic storytelling medium. Consider how images and their accompanying captions such as these help to shape the common understanding (shared knowledge) of these events and how they help to shape personal knowledge of the world around us. Photo Essay   (excerpts below) Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers unleash heavy tank fire on Isis fighters lurking in the remains of a recently liberated town near the Khazir river. Kurdish Yazidi women from the Sun Force battalion train in Snuny, near the Syrian border. Two years ago, many of these women were abducted by Isis and kept as sex-slaves during the systematic massacre Isis perpetrated against the Yazidi people. On their escape they enlisted within the Peshmerga's growing minority of female forces, preparing to fi...

In this feature article, Forbes tackles the Fake News phenomenon, having been inspired by the viral story about a Santa Claus actor who held a dying child in his armsb - a powerful holiday story.  As "some of the world’s most prestigious and reputable news outlets took a moment this week to carry the heartwarming story," including CNN, BBC, the Washington Post, and NBC , and ran them alongside articles that highlight to citizens that they need to verify information to protect themselves from "fake news," the article poses questions about these reputable publications and the irresponsibility of reporting . An important question is brought up about the justifications offered after the fact - that it really was the fault of the publication who published the original story, as they should have done the fact-checking, or the "due diligence," themselves. The others simply assumed the story had already been verified, but the concerning result is that via what...

"Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either remember things that didn't happen or remember them differently from the way they really were. It's more common than you might think, and Loftus shares some startling stories and statistics, and raises some important ethical questions we should all remember to consider." Elizabeth Loftus: How reliable is your memory?

"Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, posed this famous question: If you put a cat in a sealed box with a device that has a 50% chance of killing the cat in the next hour, what will be the state of the cat when that time is up? Chad Orzel investigates this thought experiment." Schrödinger's cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics

"What's so special about Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man? With arms outstretched, the man fills the irreconcilable spaces of a circle and a square -- symbolizing the Renaissance-era belief in the mutable nature of humankind. James Earle explains the geometric, religious and philosophical significance of this deceptively simple drawing." Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man of math

"Physicist Werner Heisenberg said, “When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first.” As difficult as turbulence is to understand mathematically, we can use art to depict the way it looks. Natalya St. Clair illustrates how Van Gogh captured this deep mystery of movement, fluid and light in his work ." The unexpected math behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

Could it be true that the greatest writer of the English language is as fictional as his plays?  A look at stylometry - characteristics of literary authorship . "Some people question whether Shakespeare really wrote the works that bear his name – or whether he even existed at all. Could it be true that the greatest writer in the English language was as fictional as his plays? Natalya St. Clair and Aaron Williams show how a linguistic tool called stylometry might shed light on the answer." Did Shakespeare write his plays?

"Michael Jordan’s legendary slam dunk from the free throw line has been calculated at 0.92 seconds of pure hang time. But how many seconds could Jordan have gotten were he doing the same jump on Mars? Or Jupiter? Andy Peterson and Zack Patterson share the math equation behind hang time." The math behind Michael Jordan’s legendary hang time

"The world turns on symmetry -- from the spin of subatomic particles to the dizzying beauty of an arabesque. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Here, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy offers a glimpse of the invisible numbers that marry all symmetrical objects. Oxford's newest science ambassador Marcus du Sautoy is also author of The Times' Sexy Maths column. He'll take you footballing with prime numbers, whopping symmetry groups, higher dimensions and other brow-furrowers." Symmetry, reality's riddle

Stanford University's History Education Group considers the question of multiperspectivity (exploring multiple perspectives) in history. It addresses that, in the academic world, the approach has shifted towards a critical, questioning and considerate approach to studying history. "In recent decades scholars and educators have begun to question the validity of singular (one-sided) historical narratives. Instead of just focusing on dominant groups and communities, they recommend employing multiple perspectives. One reason for this stems from increasing diversity and cultural pluralism, since many groups—women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.—have been ignored in traditional historical narratives." Multiperspectivity

A post about how the general assumption has always been that humans can set themselves apart from the animal world and at times, each other) because of our ability to rationalize and reason.  This blog explores the myth surrounding this idea and offers insight into the psychology of decision-making that suggests reason is not our sole influence. 'We like to think of ourselves as special because we can reason and we like to think that this ability expresses the essence of what it is to be human. In many ways this belief has formed our civilization; throughout history, we have used supposed differences in rationality to justify moral and political distinctions between different races, genders, and species, as well as between “healthy” and “diseased” individuals...After decades of research, there is compelling evidence that we are not as rational as we think we are and that, rather than irrationality being the exception, it is part of who we normally are.' The Irrationality Wi...

A piece focused on the editing of historical photographs that illustrate the extent to which world leaders will go to "erase" those who they deem to be traitors or dishonorable. The details are reminiscent of George Orwell's haunting dystopian fiction, Nineteen-Eighty Four , where the narrator is explaining what happens to those who do not follow the suffocating rules of the totalitarian society: "In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, you one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished annihilated: VAPORIZED was the usual word." 6 People Who Were Literally Erased From History

This piece offers an interesting look at the ethics of decision-making and information-sharing during wartime.   It centres on the discoveries being made that shift our understanding of the "facts" surrounding the famous sinking of the Lusitania during the first world war. According to the column, the recent discovery of government papers confirm that the ship "was carrying munitions and therefore a legitimate target when it was sunk by a German submarine in May 1915."   The journalist, Saul David, continues to explore the reasoning and justification of lies duirng wartime, claiming in this case that the " truth was kept hidden in 1915 because the British government wanted to use the sinking of a non-military ship, and the loss of 1,198 lives, as an example of German ruthlessness."  David further explores how these lies are essentially inevitable, but that ultimately, people do need access to the truth.  The Lusitania and the secrets of war, revealed

NY Times explores the controversy surrounding the fake news phenomenon, both in terms of why it is so appealing to some, while so dangerous to others. "Fake news, and the proliferation of raw opinion that passes for news, is creating confusion,  punching holes in what is true, causing a kind of fun-house effect that leaves the reader doubting everything, including real news. That has pushed up the political temperature and increased polarization." In News, What's Fake and What's Real Can Depend on What You Want to Believe

In this piece, NPR covers the findings of researchers at Stanford University where they ' evaluated students' ability to assess information sources and described the results as "dismaying," "bleak" and "[a] threat to democracy."'  Students apparently showed ' "stunning and dismaying consistency" in their responses, the researchers wrote, getting duped again and again.' Some of the findings included in the study claim that: Most middle school students can't tell native ads from articles. Most high school students accept photographs as presented, without verifying them. Many high school students couldn't tell a real and fake news source apart on Facebook. Most college students didn't suspect potential bias in a tweet from an activist group. An interesting and slightly disturbing look at something that many adults simply take for granted - that those growing up in the digital age are media literate. ...

"History is the story of human error battling plaguesome if not overwhelming structural forces, and things generally not going as well as we wish they might have...To tell the sunnier story is a slide toward futility and perhaps a kind of insanity, a march into a circus mirror. ... Forcing the happy story means embracing delusions..." Can Honest History Allow for Hope?

In this photo essay , CNN presents the images and poignant captions of their top 25 most iconic photographs ever taken.  From influential people, to those representative of a historical moment or experience. WARNING - There are some graphic and disturbing images in this collection.  25 of the most iconic photographs

"Non-stop imagery (television, streaming video, movies) surrounds us, but, when it comes to remembering, the photograph has the deeper bite." Another piece about the significant emotional and empathetic impact of "looking"  at disturbing images of the human experience  (see previous post entitled " The NewYorker - THE POWER OF LOOKING, FROM EMMETT TILL TO PHILANDO CASTILE ").  This lengthy feature article offers insight into the significant role photography plays in documenting war and experiences of "devastation and death." Looking at War

" What started as a quest to map the sophisticated acoustics of ancient churches could end up preserving and replicating forgotten noises from across the planet." In this article, researchers set out to analyze the acoustics within Byzantine era churches in an attempt to hear  the sounds associated with the art of the time period.  The detailed piece outlines the strategies and findings of the research and offers the realization that there can be a piece of the past found in the present and that history can, in fact, be "heard." Hearing the Lost Sounds of Antiquity

" When you look back across the history of art, things go missing. Interesting things."  Vanished! The Surprising Things Missing From Ancient Art

In this piece,  Allyson Hobbs ( journalist and assistant history professor at Standford), explores her personal views on using graphic historical images in the classroom - " Early in my teaching career, I made a conscious choice not to include photographs of lynchings in my course materials...  My concern was that, if we merely looked at photographs of lynchings, we risked being complicit in those terrible acts, in their attempts to rob their victims not just of life but also of dignity, honor, and, above all, privacy. I worried that we couldn’t help but be voyeurs, observing spectacles rather than bearing witness to atrocities." Hobbs' article discusses how in two key US lynchings - the murder of 14-year old Emmett Till in 1955 and the recent murder of Philando Castile, whose death was captured on video and went viral - decisions were made to force people to "look" at what had happened.  Hobbs presents her realization that there is a definite emotional and ra...

This opinion column begins by addressing the controversy surrounding the McGraw Hill world-geography textbook and claim that African slaves had gone to the US to " work on agricultural plantations,"  then uses this issue to explore a seemingly wider problem - the way in which language is used in the retelling of history (specifically in Texas).  It is an interesting piece on the ways in which language can be specifically manipulated for a particular effect, and how that might shade or change the ways in which people respond to historical "facts." How Texas Teaches History

In this opinion column, Erna Solberg, the Prime Minister of Norway, voices her frustration and concerns over the removal of an iconic historic image from her Facebook page. Her column addresses issues of censorship as well as corporate control over the sharing (or removal) of historical information. It is an interesting look at rights and responsibilities in an increasingly digital age. Facebook had no right to edit history

Read the articles below to explore the controversy surrounding the "van Gogh sketchbook." While a couple of scholars have said they believe the sketchbook to be authentic, the Van Gogh Museum have stated more than once that they do not believe it to be the work of Vincent van Gogh.  Both sides are being argued by experts in van Gogh's work and yet a consensus has yet to be reached. It prompts an interesting debate on the idea of authenticity in art and whether possible "copycat" artwork can ever really be appreciated as genuine art. 1)  Sketchbook Attributed to van Gogh Pits Scholars Against a Museum - NYTimes 2)  Van Gogh: Dispute over sketches book  - BBC News 3)  Van Gogh canon has long history of disputes  - Globe and Mail 4)  The van Gogh sketchbook dispute: Why it's so hard to verify art  - CBC News

"[John] Hersey began working on “Hiroshima” in 1945, when William Shawn, who was then the managing editor of The New Yorker, pointed out that, although the bombing had been widely written about, the victims’ stories still remained untold. After going to Japan and interviewing survivors, Hersey decided to show the bombing through six pairs of eyes. Originally, “Hiroshima” was planned as a four-part series. In the end, however, it was all published in a single issue, in August of 1946...The piece’s impact was immediate. Parts of it were excerpted in newspapers around the world, and it was read, in its entirety, on the radio." While quite lengthy, this piece is a haunting account of one of the darkest moments in the world's military history. Hiroshima

Published in 2005, this piece offers a case study via a "little piece of history" and attempts to answer a core question about the historian's role as narrator in their story:  "Whether as detective, judge or political analyst, how many hats should a historian wear?" The historian's many hats

TED 2013 - "Math is logical, functional and just ... awesome. Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series. (And reminds you that mathematics can be inspiring, too!)"

In my previous school, one of my 9th graders performed this poem during a poetry unit and blew the class away - a witty, entertaining and well-written poem that blends mathematics with the world of the Arts. "Performance poet (and math student) Harry Baker spins a love poem about his favorite kind of numbers — the lonely, love-lorn prime."

TED 2015 - "How does knowledge grow? Sometimes it begins with one insight and grows into many branches; other times it grows as a complex and interconnected network. Infographics expert Manuel Lima explores the thousand-year history of mapping data — from languages to dynasties — using trees and networks of information. It's a fascinating history of visualizations, and a look into humanity's urge to map what we know."

TED 2010 - Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine, debunks myths, superstitions and urban legends — and explains why we believe them. In this talk, Shermer "says the human tendency to believe strange things — from alien abductions to dowsing rods — boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into trouble."

TED 2015 - "Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman is trying to answer a big question: Do we experience the world as it really is ... or as we need it to be? In this ever so slightly mind-blowing talk, he ponders how our minds construct reality for us."

TED 2016 - "Unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever — mathematics — with Roger Antonsen, as he explains how a slight change in perspective can reveal patterns, numbers and formulas as the gateways to empathy and understanding." A very engaging and entertaining talk, regardless of whether you are MathS minded or not!

In this piece in the Media section of the New York Times, we have a glimpse into the impact of irresponsible assumptions and media use. Considering the speed at which information spreads nowadays and the growing percentage of people who do not check to see whether the facts they read about are in fact verified or remotely  accurate , this case study offers poignant insight into the dangers of assumptions. How fake news goes viral: A Case Study

In this Washington Post interview, fake-news writer Paul Horner explains both how false news spreads, when this becomes controversial, and why he thinks he (and others like him) influenced the outcome of the recent US election. Facebook fake-news writer

Thank you to Lucas for bringing this piece to my attention.  Memory and eyewitness testimony come under heavy criticism in terms of their reliability, their bias and the way they are influenced by personal assumptions or experiences. This piece, by Scientific American, explores the controversy surrounding eyewitness accounts and the devastating effects these can have. Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts

In this TedED lesson we learn about circular reporting and the importance of being CERTAIN of the information we receive.  In a ever-evolving digital age, it is even more important now that people learn to check for reliability than ever, as this phenomenon allows for the quick spread of false information.

"We don't just loathe inconsistencies in others; we hate them in ourselves, too. But, why? What makes contradictions so revolting - and should they be?"  (op-ed columnist Adam Grant) The Virtue of Contradicting Ourselves

In this blog post, author and astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, explores what separates science "from all other branches of human pursuit." He delves into the scientific method, ethics surrounding research and publishing, and varying degrees of "truth."  A very interesting and straightforward read. What Science Is — and How and Why It Works

"When people are dying and you can only save some, how do you choose? Maybe you save the youngest. Or the sickest. Maybe you even just put all the names in a hat and pick at random. Would your answer change if a sick person was standing right in front of you? In this episode, we follow New York Times reporter Sheri Fink as she searches for the answer. In a warzone, a hurricane, a church basement, and an earthquake, the question remains the same. What happens, what should happen, when humans are forced to play god?" Note : not an easy podcast to listen to as it deals heavily with ethical decision making and reasoning in attempting to determine whose lives are "worth" saving. At times, the real-life elements are a bit haunting. Playing God

Andy Borowicz, comedian and author of  the  Borowitz Report , a satirical news column now owned by The NewYorker, exexplores a rising phenomenon of    "fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life." In a piece that seems most relevant following the recent US elections, Borowicz's article sheds humorous light on ongoing criticisms of voters. Borowicz Article

An interesting mini-lecture exploring the connection between literature, language and arts - worlds and symbols that do not actually EXIST in our real world, and yet still have meaning and, to a certain extent, "truths" within our minds.

An entertaining and straightforward video exploring values attached to aesthetics.  Questions are raised about what art is , what humans are drawn to and how we evaluate objects or icons around us.  The presenter delves into philosophy and theory throughout to explore varying points of views on questions surrounding aesthetic value.

In this critical piece, review columnist Richard Brody explores what is "inadequate" about  American architect Peter Eisenman's Holocaust memorial, which consists of " two thousand, seven hundred and eleven gray concrete slabs."  Brody presents issues with the title, with the structure and the metaphorical and symbolic meaning of the 4.7 acre memorial.   An interesting look at criticism surrounding an artistic representation of a haunting human experience.  The inadequacy of Berlin's "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe"

" The words that surround us every day influence the words we use. Since so much of the written language we see is now on the screens of our computers, tablets, and smartphones, language now evolves partly through our interaction with technology. And because the language we use to communicate with each other tends to be more malleable than formal writing, the combination of informal, personal communication and the mass audience afforded by social media is a recipe for rapid change. From the introduction of new words to new meanings for old words to changes in the way we communicate, social media is making its presence felt." Oxford Dictionaries Blog

" What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero." An engaging illustration of the cyclical nature of the hero myth and why we might seek comfort from the same story being told again and again. 

In this column , journalist David Brooks explores what he considers to be a "cancerous" trend in politics - a shift away from a democratic, political approach to a desire for an "antipolitical" and potentially authoritarian system. Excerpt : " Over the past generation we have seen the rise of a group of people who are against politics. These groups... want to elect people who have no political experience. They want “outsiders.” They delegitimize compromise and deal-making. They’re willing to trample the customs and rules that give legitimacy to legislative decision-making if it helps them gain power. Ultimately, they don’t recognize other people. They suffer from a form of political narcissism, in which they don’t accept the legitimacy of other interests and opinions. They don’t recognize restraints. They want total victories for themselves and their doctrine."

A  very interesting feature article on what is known about the "experience" of death - both from a scientific/medical perspective as well as a personal observational perspective from the author herself. The piece presents a nice balance between what is known, what is inferred and what is still uncertain surrounding the process of death. What it feels like to die

" Over the course of human history, thousands of languages have developed from what was once a much smaller number. How did we end up with so many? And how do we keep track of them all? Alex Gendler explains how linguists group languages into language families, demonstrating how these linguistic trees give us crucial insights into the past." Lesson by Alex Gendler, animation by Igor Coric.

Christopher Kavanagh (an anthropology student at the University of Oxford) explores conflicting views on religion.  He focuses his studies on  East Asian religions, ritual behaviour, in this piece , he  poses the following question:  So is Japan just a non-religious society, like many surveys and some scholars claim? Or do we instead need to broaden our assumptions about what, in fact, constitutes religion?

A playlist with 7 TED talks on the evolution of language. I particularly liked the first two on the list - " Txtng is killing language. JK!!! " by John McWhorter and  " Go ahead, make up new words! " by Erin McKean TED Playlist

Written by Sidney Perkowitz, a  professor of physics at Emory University in Atlanta, this piece explores the ethics of using mathematics to predict human behaviour (and then act on said predictions).  The essay shares haunting similarities with Tom Cruise's film, Minority Report .  "In an age of anxiety, the words sound so reassuring:  predictive policing . The first half promises an awareness of events that have not yet occurred. The second half clarifies that the future in question will be one of safety and security. Together, they perfectly match the current obsession with big data and the mathematical prediction of human actions." ESSAY - Crimes of the Future Minority Report (2002) - trailer

In this essay, graduate student Michael Mitchell (at Tufts University, Massachusetts,  studying moral and political philosophy) delves into ethical theories to explore whether being moral actually means you can never do enough.  Theories discussed include Consequentialism and Altruism. Being moral

"How do you decide whether you ought to do something?  The  forcefully argued against this approach. According to ‘Hume’s law’(from  18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume) , also known as the ‘is/ought problem’, determining what you  ought  to do based on what  is  represents a logical mistake because there’s a gap that reason cannot bridge between the facts of the world and the values you might espouse." Video - The ‘is/ought problem’

In this piece ,  Hrishikesh Joshi (a  postgraduate research fellow in the department of philosophy at Princeton University) explores the ethical decision making surrounding poverty and opportunity.  "A large portion of the world’s population lives in conditions that are hard to fathom for people in developed countries. Many of those living in extreme poverty would gladly move to the United States, the European Union or Australia if given a chance. In light of this, how should rich countries design and enforce their immigration policies?"

" Scientists have long known that there’s much more to our experience than the five senses (or ‘outward wits’) described by Aristotle – hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. Yet the myth of five senses persists, perhaps because a clearer understanding of our sensory experience at the neurological level has only recently started to take shape. In this instalment of Aeon’s In Sight series, the British philosopher  Barry C Smith  argues that the multisensory view of human experience that’s currently emerging in neuroscience could make philosophising about our senses much more accurate, and richer, allowing philosophers to complement the work of scientists in important ways. But first, philosophy must catch up to the major advances being made in brain science." Video - Aristotle was wrong and so are we

An overview of how we can sometimes seemingly   "remember events that never actually occurred." Also known as  pseudo memory .  false memory syndrome

" Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either remember things that didn't happen or remember them differently from the way they really were. It's more common than you might think, and Loftus shares some startling stories and statistics, and raises some important ethical questions we should all remember to consider."

" The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. But historian Maria Cristina Garcia says many of us have lots of misconceptions about earlier waves of newcomers." A 22 minute podcast interview with Garcia illustrates the misconceptions associated with a historical  migratory  movement.  The Huddled Masses And The Myth Of America

National Public Radio (NPR) online has a section called "Hidden Brain - a conversation about life's unseen patterns." In this particular post, authors address the metaphor of the "broken window" and how it became one of the most influential theories on crime and policing in America - and also one of the most misunderstood and misused theories. It is accompanied by a podcast (30 mins) and the full transcript . "How A Theory Of Crime And Policing Was Born, And Went Terribly Wrong"

The Guardian  arts correspondent, Jonathan Jones, discusses why and how some critics will come to completely different understandings of what makes "good" art.  A good exploration of this ongoing debate with links to reasoning and justification. How do you judge art?

A website dedicated to information on modern artistic movements, styles and works. An interactive and user-friendly exploration of modern art. The Art Story: Modern Art Insight

This piece presents a top-10 ranking of Bansky's work:  A look  "at Banksy’s 10 most powerful works of social commentary that have helped make him into a one of culture’s most iconic—and controversial—figures." Bansky's 10 Most Powerful Works of Social Commentary

This website provides a straight-forward overview of the difference between these two theories , with links to the relationship of each to both natural and human sciences. Positivism argues that knowledge can only be gained through observable and measurable "facts" (leaning towards natural sciences),  while Constructivism claims that knowledge is socially constructed (leaning towards human sciences). A good/brief start for those looking into theoretical discussions of validity of things like WOKs. Difference Between Positivism and Constructivism

This piece focuses on the Edward Snowden case and its haunting similarity to George Orwell's dystopian fiction, Nineteen-Eighty Four. The post features artwork that illustrates the oppressive totalitarian setting within Orwell's novel and also includes a portion of the introduction to the edition, written by " Guardian  editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger — who broke the Edward Snowden story in a masterwork of journalism and stood up to real-life Big Brother by refusing to hand over Snowden’s data to the government." Haunting Illustrations for Orwell’s  Nineteen Eighty-Four , Introduced by the Courageous Journalist Who Broke the Edward Snowden Story

A very interesting look at how social media continues to change structures of language.  "One of the oldest forms of punctuation may be dying The period — the full-stop signal we all learn as children, whose use stretches back at least to the Middle Ages — is gradually being felled in the barrage of instant messaging that has become synonymous with the digital age So says  David Crystal , who has written more than 100 books on language and is a former master of original pronunciation at Shakespeare’s Globe theater in London — a man who understands the power of tradition in language" Period. Full Stop. Point. Whatever It’s Called, It’s Going Out of Style

" Pascal’s triangle, which at first may just look like a neatly arranged stack of numbers, is actually a mathematical treasure trove. But what about it has so intrigued mathematicians the world over? Wajdi Mohamed Ratemi shows how Pascal's triangle is full of patterns and secrets." Pascal's Triangle

In this Guardian piece, questions are raised about recent claims made regarding scientific evidence and the impact of the media. A good discussion of HOW we know. No, research does not say that ‘iPads and smartphones may damage toddlers’ brains’

Linked directly to our class discussion on the symbolic power of language and the media's role in shaping the connotation of words. Obama: Why I won't say 'Islamic terrorism'

" Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding."

"Susan Sontag spent a lifetime contemplating the role of writing in both the inner world of the writer and outer universe of readers, which we call culture." Sontag :  “Love words, agonize over sentences. And pay attention to the world.” Susan Sontag on Storytelling, What It Means to Be a Moral Human Being, and Her Advice to Writers

"German philosopher, cultural theorist, literary critic, and unflinching idealist  Walter Benjamin  (July 15, 1892–September 26, 1940) explored this dance between information and wisdom."   This explores the role of storytellers in the age of information.  Walter Benjamin on Information vs. Wisdom and How the Novel and the News Killed Storytelling

Trailblazing Philosopher Susanne Langer on the Purpose of Art, How It Works Us Over, and How Abstract Thinking Gives Shape to Human Emotion “In the history of language, in the growth of human understanding, the principle of metaphorical expression plays a vastly greater role than most people realize. For it is the natural instrument of our greatest mental achievement — abstract thinking.”

In this humorous short lecture below, author Kurt Vonnegut explores how classic stories have a basic "shape" to them that makes them easy to map.  He submitted his thesis on this in 1965 to the University of Chicago, which they rejected and which made Vonnegut furious. In July 2016, The Guardian published an article entitled " Three, six or 36: how many basic plots are there in all stories ever written?" and in it, acknowledged that there is, indeed, truth to Vonnegut's theory that has been supported by academics who have run computer analysis on his theory.  The  researchers found there are “six core trajectories which form the building blocks of complex narratives.”  See their findings mapped out here.    Within it, you can s earch by titles for individual story maps.  See Vonnegut's amusing short lecture here:

" In the hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a lawyer sat down in front of a computer and started writing a legal justification for taking action against those responsible. The language that he drafted and that President George W. Bush signed into law - called the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) -  has at its heart one single sentence, 60 words long. Over the last decade, those 60 words have become the legal foundation for the 'war on terror.'" 60 Words

" How close can words get you to the truth and feel and force of life? That's the question poking at our ribs this hour, as we wonder how it is that the right words can have the wrong meanings, and why sometimes the best translations lead us to an understanding that's way deeper than language. This episode, 8 stories that play out in the middle space between one reality and another — where poetry, insult comedy, 911 calls, and even our own bodies work to close the gap." Translation

How far should lawyers go to provide the best defense to the worst people? This podcast explores the murder trial of Robert Garrow and a significant moment in legal ethics as his attorneys refused to disclose the location of the bodies of two of Garrow's victims.  The Buried Bodies Case

The Guardian describes this podcast as follows: " comedian and etymology enthusiast Helen Zaltzman's... fortnightly series is all about words, from the 5,000-year history of the emoji to the smallest language in the world." The Allusionist

"Privacy and legal experts across Canada say serious privacy questions need to be asked about an 'extraordinary' and 'unprecedented' move by Ontario Provincial Police to send text messages to about 7,500 people for information about an unsolved homicide."   See article and questions raised below. Police mass texting to public in murder investigation raises privacy fears

A look at what it is and why a global understanding might be necessary. From the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Centre for Journalism Ethics. GLOBAL MEDIA ETHICS

Yes, another NG post. They really do have some great material on a wide range of interesting topics! This one is a fun/creepy look at a dark period in history.  It is an interactive that allows you to get a feel for the extent to which human beings can go.  Can you survive Salem's witchcraft hysteria?

The National Geographic Channel ran a special with Morgan Freeman that focused on a broad look at the "story" of God.  On THIS site , you can find a wide variety of interesting tidbits exploring the nature of religion, religious beliefs, rituals and values. Some interesting ones include: How different religions see God Ancient Egyptian tombs and death rituals What philosophers say about miracles What do the world religions say about miracles? 

I found this one on www.theoryofknowledge.net.  With direct links to the upcoming USA presidential election, the piece is described as follows: " Social scientists investigate when and why liberals and conservatives mistrust science. The apparent split may be more about cultural and personal beliefs than feelings about science itself." How objective are our scientific opinions?

A feature article on the significant discovery made hundreds of miles away from the only other known Viking site in Newfoundland, Canada. " The treasure they discovered here—a stone hearth used for working iron—could rewrite the early history of North America and aid the search for lost Viking settlements described in Norse sagas centuries ago." Discovery Could Rewrite History of Vikings in New World

A new look at the Dresden Codex may change our understanding of the ways the Maya used the night sky to plan their ceremonial calendars. AN EXCERPT: By combining a new reading of the text, tricky mathematical equations, and field observations,  Gerardo Aldana   at the University of California, Santa Barbara has simplified the way Maya scribes would have corrected their calendars. “There is some really elegant math that’s going on there that has not been recognized before,” says Aldana. His work not only casts new light on how the Maya tied their ceremonies to the sky, it may also call into question every date we have for events in the ancient Maya world. Have We Been Misreading a Crucial Maya Codex for Centuries?

The website https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com has information on different types of faulty logic. Explore the website and their infographic below to see what you yourself might be guilty of!

Why do people see the Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich or hear demonic lyrics in "Stairway to Heaven"? Using video and music, skeptic Michael Shermer shows how we convince ourselves to believe — and overlook the facts.

How does science work? Kind of like a pinball machine. Check it out! The Academy's Charles Griswold takes us through the process of science with an exciting new spider discovery. ( California Academy of Sciences)

An interview with author Tom Bissell about his book Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve  and his attempt to discover whether Jesus' 12 apostles were actual historical figures or merely characters in a fictional story. These 12 Men Shaped Christianity—But Were They Real?

An obviously controversial order given by a Canadian judge attempting to legally force a transgender 4 year old to dress according to a particular gender.  (October 14, 2016) " Medicine Hat judges ordered 4-year-old not to wear girls' clothes in public"

An interesting feature piece published on our ability to recognize flowers, inability to define them clearly. BBC Earth - "Nobody can really tell you what a flower is"

"In this short, writer Alex Bellos tells Robert how, from the very first time humans ever used numbers, we couldn’t help but give them human-like qualities. From favorite numbers to numbers that we’re suspicious of, from 501 jeans to Oxy 10, our feelings for these digits may all come down to some serious, subconscious inner-math….a deeply human arithmetic buried in our heart." (Radiolab) Radiolab - for the love of numbers

In this talk, Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers   and The Tipping Point , offers new insight into a the classic biblical-era underdog story. An interesting look at theory and language (storytelling).

Here is a very interesting presentation by data researcher and TED Fellow Jean-Baptiste Michel entitled "The mathematics of history" - linking two AOKs together in one talk!