A new book, The Nation That Never Was, by Professor Kermit Roosevelt III of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, engages in extensive historical, legal, political, and philosophical analysis of the American story. This is nothing less than a search for America's most useful and unifying narrative, even as we are living with the controversy and divisions that the “1619” and “1776” projects have wrought (or highlighted). Professor Roosevelt embraces some of Professor Amar’s key innovations and claims, including the centrality of the Reconstruction Amendments for valid originalist analyses, but he also makes claims that, shall we say, get Akhil’s (and Andy’s!) attention. So, too, will it grab your attention as you listen to a respectful debate.
NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Shubeik Lubeik’ imagines a world where you can buy and sell wishes
In Arabic, the rhyme Shubeik Lubeik means "your wish is my command." So it's an apt title for a new graphic novel by Deena Mohamed, which explores a world in which wishes are commodified and classified for consumption. Cheap wishes are packaged and sold in cans, while expensive wishes belong in bottles. In today's episode, Mohamed explains to NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how this system is meant to illustrate the ways wealth already works in our society, and how difficult it can be to decide what wishes are worth hoping for.
Short Wave - The Ancient Night Sky And The Earliest Astronomers
Moiya McTier says the night sky has been fueling humans' stories about the universe for a very long time, and informing how they explain the natural world. In fact, Moiya sees astronomy and folklore as two sides of the same coin.
"To me, science is any rigorous attempt at understanding and explaining the world around you," she explained to Short Wave's Aaron Scott. "You can see that they knew enough about the world around them to predict eclipses, to predict annual floods in Egypt, for example. I think that you can use folklore and mythology to understand the early scientific attempts of humanity."
Moiya McTier is the author of The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy. She joins us to draw out the connections between astronomy and folklore, why the night sky is more dynamic than it might look, and what it feels like to live on an astronomical timescale.
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"To me, science is any rigorous attempt at understanding and explaining the world around you," she explained to Short Wave's Aaron Scott. "You can see that they knew enough about the world around them to predict eclipses, to predict annual floods in Egypt, for example. I think that you can use folklore and mythology to understand the early scientific attempts of humanity."
Moiya McTier is the author of The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy. She joins us to draw out the connections between astronomy and folklore, why the night sky is more dynamic than it might look, and what it feels like to live on an astronomical timescale.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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It Could Happen Here - Andrew on India
Andrew is joined by James and Mia to talk about the history of India.
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