John Rose

In what sense are all men created equal? America’s Declaration of Independence calls it a self-evident truth. But to look around the world, nothing could seem to be less the case, empirically speaking. Some of us are born to wealthy parents, others into poverty; some of us with 170 IQs, others a little slow on the uptake. The genetic lottery, as some call it, does not distribute prizes equally. 

Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation by Michael Zielenziger Doubleday, 340 pages, $24.95 Their calm demeanors, high standards of living, and clean, crimeless streets give the impression that all is well among the Japanese. But beneath the country’s plastic, neon-lit . . . . Continue Reading »

Walter Isaacson’s biography Einstein: His Life and Universe hit bookstands yesterday and promises to be a bestseller. Time magazine has made an excerpt available online called "Einstein & Faith" that is very much worth reading.Although Einstein abandoned his faith in a personal . . . . Continue Reading »

Michael Polanyi: Scientist and Philosopher, by William Taussig Scott and Martin X. Moleski, S.J., Oxford University Press, 384 pages, $45 Michael Polanyi: The Art of Knowing, by Mark T. Mitchell, ISI, 220 pages, $15 As much for his shortcomings as for his insights, the Hungarian chemist Michael . . . . Continue Reading »

A junior fellowship at First Things is an intellectually gratifying experience for a young writer or scholar interested in religion and culture. Take my word for it: I’ve worked at First Things for two years, first as a junior fellow and now as an assistant editor. In addition to finding . . . . Continue Reading »

After printing an evenhanded op-ed on neurology and the paranormal (registration required), the New York Times carries a curious story about science and free will . "Free will does exist, but it’s a perception, not a power or a driving force," says neurological researcher Mark . . . . Continue Reading »

It was standing-room-only on Monday night when Philip Jenkins delivered the annual Erasmus Lecture at the Union League Club here in Manhattan. Jenkins discussed the current explosion of third-world Christianities and what it means for the future of the religion¯a fascinating topic.Among the . . . . Continue Reading »

Tucked away in the back of last week’s New York Review of Books , Michael Sandel and Thomas Nagel partook in an exchange on liberalism and abortion rights , itself in response to Nagel’s review (subscription necessary) of Sandel’s latest book.A nonreligious anti-Rawlsian, Sandel . . . . Continue Reading »

Christians look at creation and see the handiwork of the Lord. Nonreligious environmentalists marvel at what natural selection has produced. Despite their differences, the two can agree we have a moral responsibility to care for our earth. Such is the truce E.O. Wilson calls for in his new book, The . . . . Continue Reading »

Depending on whom you ask, it’s either the holy grail of physics¯the prophesied Theory of Everything¯or a Theory of Nothing, a monumental waste of time and money. What it can’t be is half right.String theory, as the only viable candidate for a unified field theory, promises to . . . . Continue Reading »