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Posts published by “John Horgan”

Second Thoughts on Whether Self-Knowledge Is Overrated

In my recent post “Is Self-Knowledge Overrated?,” I cast doubt on what I called the Socratic principle, the notion that self-examination in the broadest sense—contemplating not just your life but life in general, the human condition–leads to happiness and virtue.

Is Self-Knowledge Overrated?

An axiom of intellectual traditions east and west is that scrutinizing yourself and humanity in general makes you a better person.

Let’s Ban Nukes and War in General

I hope this year’s Nobel Peace Prize adds oomph to efforts to eliminate the threat of nuclear war—and war in general.

Stevens Nuke Expert Discusses Trump and North Korea

My Stevens colleague Alex Wellerstein, an historian of science, has become a go-to expert on nuclear weapons, published in The New Yorker, Washington Post and elsewhere.

Is It Still Too Soon to Blame Global Warming for Big Hurricanes?

Remember Irene? It was a hurricane that wreaked havoc along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. in 2011. Some environmental activists, notably Bill McKibben, blamed Irene on human-induced global warming, whereas others denounced that attribution as scientifically premature.

Is Gene Therapy Finally Living up to Its Hype?

In 1990, geneticist William French Anderson injected cells with altered genes into a four-year-old girl with severe immunodeficiency disorder. This was the first sanctioned test of gene therapy, in which genetic material is used to treat or prevent disease.

What’s your utopia?

Utopia gets a bad rap. If someone calls you or your idea “utopian,” they usually mean it as an insult, a synonym for naïve and unrealistic.

Novelist Rebecca Goldstein visits Stevens to defend philosophy

Why do freshmen at Stevens, most of whom plan to major in engineering, have to read Plato and Descartes? Let me generalize that question: In an age dominated by science and engineering, what is the point of philosophy?