In his new book “Better Living Through Criticism,” A.O. Scott distills his decades-long career into a simple to read manifesto that not only explains the qualities of a good critic, but argues their fundamental importance to any culture.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Anthony Harkins tells Steve Paulson about the stereotype of the hillbilly and what it has meant to American culture.
Albert Glinsky is the author of “Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage.” The book is a biography of Leon Theremin and a history of the instrument that bears his name.
Andy Behrman describes some of the excesses of his manic state and talks about the course of electric shock therapy that finally got his illness under control.
Storytelling is all the rage these days - and everyone seems to have a life narrative. But not philosopher Galen Strawson. He says life stories often create an inauthentic version of ourselves.
When photographer Phil Toledano's mother died in 2006, Phil - an only child - became his father's main caregiver. Phil started taking photos of him too. In the beginning, he says, "I was taking photographs for myself. I was recording something for myself." But when he started sharing the pictures online, the response was overwhelming.
What's the perfect drug for a culture of distraction? Adderall. Sales of the prescription drug have increased exponentially and not always legally, especially to young adults. Casey Schwartz spent her twenties gulping down prescription stimulants to help her get through school and start her career. She wrote about her experience in a story for "The New York Times Magazine" called "Generation Adderall."
Ali Allawi is a visiting fellow at Harvard and the former Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance in Iraq. He talks with Steve Paulson about Islam and modernism.
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