As we just finished another academic year (congrats!), what did we learn? For some college students around the country, the answer may be… nothing. But, as it happens, this problem is nothing new. Thirteen years ago, a provocative book was […]
What I am reading: Kyle Harper on climate and deadly germs that made (and continue to make) history, Part II
“There have been about ten thousand generations of humans so far. For all but the last three or four generations, life was short, lasting on average around thirty years. Yet this average is deceptive, because life in a world ruled […]
Local history: Corey Brennan’s review of Paul W. Jacobs, The Lives of a Roman Neighborhood
Few cities have as richly multi-layered a history as Rome. Today, Corey Brennan reviews Paul W. Jacobs’s The Lives of a Roman Neighborhood in TLS. The neighborhood in question is “Known today as the Sant’Angelo rione, it is the smallest […]
What I am reading: Kyle Harper on climate and deadly germs that made (and continue to make) history, Part I
As historians, we display the same love of searching for agency as any mom who enters a really messy room with trepidation yet determination—every toy box has been emptied, and the Legos strewn across the floor dare you to walk […]
Current’s editor Eric Miller today on Doomer Optimism podcast
Doomer Optimism‘s Ashley Colby recently interviewed Current editor Eric Miller, and this podcast episode is live today. It really is a fascinating conversation about a wide range of topics, well worth a listen. And you should read Eric’s “Ideas in […]
Daniel Williams on evangelical religious conversion in Christianity Today
I would have posted this earlier, but the author doesn’t always tell me about these things when they appear in print (although I assure you I did get to read a draft). But I highly recommend Dan’s latest in Christianity […]
Erika Bachiochi on the need for caregiver benefits, especially for mothers
With Mother’s Day approaching (this Sunday), Erika Bachiochi has a powerful essay in Plough today, arguing for better government support for caregivers, especially mothers, drawing on the analogy to veterans’ benefits. You want to go read her piece in its […]
The Writing Time: Night
The quiet, creative magic of evening liturgy
What does May 9th mean for Russia?
On this date seventy-eight years ago, Germany surrendered, officially ending WWII in Europe. So goes the official narrative. Textbooks and encyclopedias like to put a firm date on things like these, although in this case, historians can quibble that operations […]
Great reads in this week’s Fairer Disputations
In January, a new online journal launched: Fairer Disputations. The brainchild, in large part, of Erika Bachiochi, the journal is (to quote the official description): Fairer Disputations is an international community of scholars, public intellectuals, journalists, and advocates that aims to […]
Springtime meal planning with the Romans
As spring settles in for good and the end of this school year is in sight, I have seen several seasonally updated family meal plans and recommendations for the fastest, easiest, yet also most nutritious ways to feed one’s ever-hungry […]
A gift guide for graduates
Graduation season is coming up! If you are stumped for gift ideas for your favorite high-school and college grads, we have put together a starter gift guide for you. Sure, you could always just put some cash in a card. […]
What I am reading: Faith, hope, and love in Eugene Vodolazkin’s Brisbane
Over the course of these first four months of Anno Domini 2023, I have read through all of the novels of the Russian writer Eugene Vodolazkin. This was not planned, but this is the sort of thing that is bound […]
Coverage of AI and technology-gone-rogue at Current, Arena, and Way of Improvement
A wise reader, Stephen Kamm, remarked earlier this week after reading Elizabeth Stice’s essay this Monday: “A thoughtful piece, and we need many thoughtful pieces on this topic. I’ve adopted the “shut my eyes and pretend it doesn’t exist” approach […]
Two thoughtful Christian conservatives today on aid for vulnerable families and single-payer healthcare
I want to highlight two thoughtful and compassionate articles out today that present Christian conservative arguments for caring for the most vulnerable among us. First, Leah Libresco Sargeant in The Dispatch argues that at the moment, while policies to aid […]
Elizabeth Stice on payphones, today in Front Porch Republic
Arena regular, Elizabeth Stice, has an insightful essay today in Front Porch Republic on a subject that you likely have not thought much about recently: payphones. A quick taste: If you ever used a payphone, you probably haven’t done so […]
What Fruit Do Universities Bear?
Free inquiry without ethics endangers freedom
This toddler is facing a serious time out
Today’s funniest news (except for the parents, whose pain any parent can kind of feel): CNN reports that a toddler managed to get crawl into White House grounds. He was safely apprehended, although it apparently did take two security officers […]
Bonnie Kristian reviews Guriev and Treisman, Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century for Mere Orthodoxy
We may have thought that the age of dictators (mostly, sort of) ended with the twentieth century, but in this insightful book review of a timely book for Mere Orthodoxy, Bonnie Kristian directs us to the development of twenty-first century’s […]
Your reading and writing life is better with (copy)editors in it
When we read books or shorter essays, such as those published at Current, we generally take certain things for granted. We expect that the book or essay will be free of factual and typographical errors, sentences should read smoothly, the […]