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A darkly lit image of four actors on stage during the Studio Theatre’s 2022 production of Will Arbery's "Heroes of the Fourth Turning."
A darkly lit image of four actors on stage during the Studio Theatre’s 2022 production of Will Arbery's "Heroes of the Fourth Turning."

Prepared for Spiritual Warfare

February 14, 2025

Scott McLemee considers the continuing cultural resonance of Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning.

A drawing illustrating the concept of the panopticon, a design concept for prisons featuring a central watchtower from which guards can see into all the cells, but the prisoners can't see if they are being watched.
A drawing illustrating the concept of the panopticon, a design concept for prisons featuring a central watchtower from which guards can see into all the cells, but the prisoners can't see if they are being watched.

The Panopticon, Old and New

January 31, 2025

Scott McLemee considers the panopticon’s persistence in (semi-)popular culture as an inescapable metaphor.

The book cover for Glenn Adamson's "A Century of Tomorrows."
The book cover for Glenn Adamson's "A Century of Tomorrows."

Thoughts of Future Past

January 17, 2025

Scott McLemee reviews Glenn Adamson’s A Century of Tomorrows, an account of the rise of “futurology.”

An illustration featuring the covers of the nine books described in the accompanying essay.
An illustration featuring the covers of the nine books described in the accompanying essay.

In the New Year

December 20, 2024

Scott McLemee looks ahead to select spring 2025 university press releases.

A sign reading "New Books" is displayed at a library.
A sign reading "New Books" is displayed at a library.

Spring Ahead

December 10, 2024

Social trust is fraying, zombie bugs are on the loose and human ingenuity never fails to surprise—Scott McLemee rounds up select forthcoming titles from university presses.

The cover of Byung-Chul Han's 'Vita Contemplativa: In Praise of Inactivity,' featuring a placid lake with forest and mountains in the background.
The cover of Byung-Chul Han's 'Vita Contemplativa: In Praise of Inactivity,' featuring a placid lake with forest and mountains in the background.

Living the ‘Vita Contemplativa’

November 22, 2024

Scott McLemee reviews Byung-Chul Han’s Vita Contemplativa: In Praise of Inactivity.

A poster for the 'Stanford Prison Experiment' limited series. A male student acting as a guard gestures with a baton toward a group of peers, dressed as prisoners, lined up and facing the other direction; text at the top states "Six days will last a lifetime." The poster also notes the series is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
A poster for the 'Stanford Prison Experiment' limited series. A male student acting as a guard gestures with a baton toward a group of peers, dressed as prisoners, lined up and facing the other direction; text at the top states "Six days will last a lifetime." The poster also notes the series is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment

November 15, 2024

An artful new documentary sheds new light even for those familiar with the infamous experiment, Scott McLemee writes.

The cover of Annalee Newitz’s "Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind."
The cover of Annalee Newitz’s "Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind."

‘Stories Are Weapons’

November 1, 2024

Scott McLemee reviews Annalee Newitz’s new book on the evolution of psychological warfare.