The life of the mind in our society suffers, in many ways, from an increase in credulity and an associated flight from expertise. I’ll tackle this subject in three two-part essays, as part of Britannica’s “Web 2.0″ forum. Part I of my first essay follows …

Iraqis have a unique word in their language, one not shared by other Arabic-speaking lands. The word is sahel, and it means “to utterly defeat and humiliate someone by dragging his corpse through the streets.” What does this mean for U.S. policy in Iraq?

If you were going to bunk with someone for eternity, who would it be? Ever pass by a cemetery and wonder what they’re going to do once all the plots are claimed?

Is stack ‘em and pack ‘em the answer? Well, yes, of course!!!

Science! The problem with it is that although it profoundly affects our lives, increasingly, only scientists can understand it. Where’s Mr. Wizard when you need him?

“Catastrophize,” “notificant,” and “green-collar” – just a sampling of the creative new words and expressions submitted by the public to Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary this week. Read on for their definitions…

The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center collects the detritus of writers’ lives. It hopes you find value in an Edwardian writer’s underwear.

Nancy Pelosi, Barry Bonds, Sylvester “Rocky” Stallone; bat boy dealers, doping and cycling, sexual threats and witness tampering—what do they all have in common? They’re all part of our look at the Top 10 Steroid Stories of Spring.

Already bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be sheer folly for the U.S. to take military action against Iran or its nuclear infrastructure, as some commentators are discussing…

Kathie: “What are you rebelling against, Johnny?”
Johnny: “Whaddya got?”

That fairly well captures a particular and increasingly prevalent political mindset, one that might be dubbed reflexive oppositionism. In the view of people gripped by this mindset, whatever is, is wrong.

In watching Mike Wallace’s 60 Minutes interview with Jack Kevorkian on Sunday, I’m left with many thoughts on the subject of assisted suicide, such as: “Dr. Death” was wrong then and remains wrong today…