The Weekly SPI Fellows Update
by Julie Esris
Evolutionary biologist and SPI Fellow┬áDavid Sloan Wilson has an interesting question: can biologists help fix the economy with their understanding of evolution? Wilson’s interesting question also has an interesting answer.
Author, philosopher, and SPI Fellow┬áRussell Blackford┬áasks “What if nothing is sacred?” in regard to bioethics. Is genetic enhancement ethical? What about stem-cell research? Or euthanasia? Where does one draw the line? And what does he have to say about politics?┬áCheck out the video of Blackford’s thought-provoking presentation about this important issue.┬á
Why is there so much violence in the Middle East? What are the roots of religious conflict? The failure of the nation-state is to blame, says sociology professor and SPI Fellow Mark Juergensmeyer. Find out why in this fascinating interview with Juergensmeyer.
And speaking of evolution, what do monkeys and humans have in common? An innate sense of economic justice, says author and SPI Fellow┬áIan Morris— and it’s an important evolutionary adaptation. Learn about the fascinating experiments that support this claim.
Sometimes when different cultures encounter each other, they end up imitating and “borrowing” from one another. But is imitation a form of negation, or is it “the sincerest form of flattery”? Linguist and SPI Fellow┬áJohn McWhorter answers this interesting question.