Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

Equality Across Borders

From Web Exclusives

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. 

Land of the Setting Sun

From the June/July 2007 Print Edition

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 »

Einstein and Faith

From Web Exclusives

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 »

The Feeling Intellect

From the March 2007 Print Edition

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 »

Rose: Junior Fellowships Available

From Web Exclusives

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 »

Rose: Free Will and the NY Times

From Web Exclusives

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 »

Rose: Jenkins, Regensburg, and Balthasar

From Web Exclusives

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 »

Rose: Abortion and Public Reason

From Web Exclusives

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 »

Rose: Wilson, Dawkins & Co.

From Web Exclusives

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 »

Rose: String Theory and All That

From Web Exclusives

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 »