RIP Daniel C. Dennett. Philosopher, wit, polymath. If you've never read anything by him, try this: lehigh.edu/~mhb0/Dennett-…

This story reminds me of another one: the physicianʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī describes treasure hunters finding a 'jar of honey' while plundering tombs near the pyramids in late 11th century.
libraryofarabicliterature.org/books/97814798…

NEW | The Iranian April 13 missile-drone attack on Israel was very likely intended to cause significant damage below the threshold that would trigger a massive Israeli response. The attack was designed to succeed, not to fail. 🧵(1/9)

The Iranian attack 'is also a gift to the hapless Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, whose incompetence was universally acknowledged just a day ago,' writes Graeme Wood: theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

'I believe that in the case of Robert S. McNamara, guilt and shame played an important part in his life. It’s the main reason why I liked him, why I still consider him to be my favorite war criminal.'
--From Errol Morris's Hitchens Prize acceptance speech

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Academic freedom includes the freedom to say, write, think, and teach crazy things. Reinstate

Protesters believe they cannot change Hamas, but they might be able to change their own government. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/… another excellent report by Graeme Wood

'During protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this weekend, the global condemnation of Israel’s tactics in Gaza didn’t seem to matter to anyone I spoke with,' Graeme Wood writes. But Israelis’ rage against their government had reached new levels of incandescence. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Research shows that the most cost-effective way to deter crime is increasing the probability that offenders are caught (not making sentences longer). Great to see that the public is on board with this approach.

“Guernica’s commitment to writing on war, injustice, and oppression has evolved. The magazine stands by its retraction of the work; I do not.”

Amazing - a treatise about why there can be no anal sex in heaven because the inhabitants of Paradise don't have anuses.
nli.org.il/ar/manuscripts…

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich -- still in prison in Russia wsj.com/articles/evan-…

US intel community’s DEI office urges abandoning “problematic terms” like “Jihadist” &“Salafi-Jihadist” as these “incorrectly suggest that Islamic beliefs somehow condone the actions and rhetorics espoused by these [FTOs]”; recommends “Khawarij” instead 🤦‍♂️ dailywire.com/news/internal-…

In the last few years, I’ve written a fair bit about “cancel culture” on the left. But the right has a mirror image problem—a reluctance to ever draw a line.

This is the story of the Spectator’s columnist for 50 years, Taki: theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

This Michael Powell profile of Eric Adams is everything you might hope: theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…