Inquiry

Inquiry
Cathcart and Klein Understanding Political Doublespeak Through Philosophy and Jokes.

THOMAS CATHCART and DANIEL KLEIN return to Inquiry to talk about the logical fallacies that make up most of what we call political discourse. Talking to Tom and Dan is like trying to converse with some mad mythological creature that is part stand-up comedian, part Harvard philosophy professor. Hilarious AND thought provoking.

Inquiry
Andrew D Blechman

Inquiry
Susan Jacoby:21st Century THE AGE OF AMERICAN UNREASON.

After listening to your local “talk” radio, or watching any “reality” TV show or listening to most politicians speak, do you ever get the feeling that we suffer from endemic anti-intellectual tendencies? Why does there seem to be a permanent fault line between faith and rationalism in America? Do you ever get the feeling, as Bill Moyers once lamented, that “the delusional is no longer marginal”?

Inquiry
Andrew D Blechman LEISUREVILLE: ADVENTURES IN AMERICA’S RETIREMENT UTOPIAS

The Villages is a mammoth “active adult” community in central Florida that sprawls over three counties. Most residents commute on campus via golf carts. There is a different golf course for every day of the month, and more are being created. The Villages has its own carefully controlled and edited daily paper, radio station and TV station. Residents are free to play, drink and debauch 24/7. But behind this utopia are some ugly realities: this is a privately held business.

Inquiry
MikeHansel: BUILT BY ANIMALS: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMAL ARCHITECTURE

How can millions of tiny termites organize themselves to build complex mounds 10 feet high? Why is starting a bird’s nest the most difficult part of its construction?