This essay deconstructs Jane Bennett’s and Erwin Schrödinger’s theories of life to demonstrate the untenability of defining life on the basis of either identity (relation to self) or difference (relation to other). Because the living thing is undecidably self and other, its traditional bond to the self-relation of teleology is untenable. Yet reli…[Read more]

This article treats late ancient rabbinic texts (ca. 1st-early 3rd cents. CE), reading them as biology, and following their ideas about the limits and possibilities of reproductive and species variation. I read sources from the tractates of Niddah, Kil’ayim, and Bekhorot, in the Mishnah and Toseta, as expressions of a science of generation, or a b…[Read more]

Introduction to the book Anton Pannekoek: Ways of Viewing Science and Society

One of Anton Pannekoek’s main scientific projects was to provide a representation of the appearance of the Milky Way – an object he believed to be an optical illusion. This paper elucidates how Pannekoek thought the Milky Way appearance was formed by a combination of human psychology and physiology, and why he attributed such significance to it.…[Read more]

This is a ‘study of a choir’; the author joined the choir for three months and participated in every aspect, from rehearsals, dinners, a meeting to a gig. They chatted to the members, sang with them and talked to the choir leader and manager about everything from the ethos of the choir, to whether meat was served often enough at dinner. It was the…[Read more]

What actions should the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) undertake to ensure proper follow-up for identified physical and mental health issues among Muslim refugees?

Anton Pannekoek (1873-1960), prominent astronomer and world-renowned socialist theorist, stood at the nexus of the revolutions in politics, science and the arts of the early twentieth century. His astronomy was uniquely visual and highly innovative, while his politics were radical. Anton Pannekoek: Ways of Viewing Science and Society collects…[Read more]

The issue of sharing course material outside of the classroom is very much intertwined with academic integrity and information literacy issues. This chapter explores the key issues surrounding this topic. First, this chapter explores the ill-conceived notions that might exist around students’ perceptions that everything on the internet is free a…[Read more]