Joel Christensen
Dialogue –
Universities should embrace Socrates more, but not for the reasons you think
In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, Bret Stephens joined the chorus of voices lamenting the politicization of universities and claimed that instead of making current events and …
Features –
Son to father: Love, legacy, and loss
When I was celebrating my birthday around the time my son, Iskander, was three years old, he was surprised that I had not grown noticeably “bigger” over the year. He …
Dialogue –
When the world’s on fire and politics fail we can always look to Ancient Greeks
All summer in the Northern hemisphere the world has been under water or on fire. In the United States, where I live, our political establishment stays ground to a halt, …
Dialogue –
The U.S. Supreme Court and Ancient Greek notions of justice
There’s a special place for judges and fair judgment in ancient Greek literature. In the depiction of the city of peace on the shield Hephaestus makes for Achilles in Homer’s …
Classical Deception: Reactionary Misappropriation of Greek Classics Fuel Culture Wars in Education
Over the past year, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, a likely candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. President, has been waging war against higher education. From forbidding the teaching …
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From the Temple of Poseidon to the stadiums of Doha: The Humanities and Human Beings
Cape Sounio Back in the days before the COVID-19 Pandemic, I made my first pilgrimage to Athens to mark my 40th birthday. It used to be something of a regular …
Dialogue –
Iliad – lessons for modern society
When I teach the Iliad in a myth or literature class, one of the things I emphasise is how its narrative frame joins other coalition tales from ancient Greece like …
Dialogue –
A Burden on The Earth: Greek Myth and climate change
I grew up in Southern Maine in the United States, spending most of my childhood outside in the pine forests during the 1980s and 1990s. As an adult, I now …
Dialogue –
The terrible logic of imperialism: Might makes right
In the first few days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Mayor of Knox County Tennessee and former professional wrestler, Glenn Jacobs, tweeted in response to public concern, “Historically, …
Dialogue –
Ancient Greeks also suffered poor leadership during plagues
In the United States February’s final week saw nearly 2000 deaths a day from COVID and yet local governments and the CDC have moved to aggressively roll back mitigating measures. …