Roland Barthes' From Work to Text is a seminal essay which lays out why, in the humanities, we have come to refer to pieces of literature, films and many other things using the catch-all term "text". Because, we refer a lot to...

In this month's episode of What the Theory?, we're diving into postcolonialism with an intro to postcolonial theory in literature, film and culture.



We'll be looking at the ideas of Edward Said (as laid out in his book...

In today's What the Theory?, I take a look social class looking at both Karl Marx's theory of class as well as Pierre Bourdieu, cultural capital and more societally rooted approaches to class in the twenty-first...

In this introduction to Gramsci and his neomarxist theory of hegemony, in particular cultural hegemony, I explore this concept which has been hugely influential in contemporary social theory, political theory and cultural...

A brief introduction to postdramatic and postmodern theatre as first theorised by Hans Theis Lehmann. The first in a series in which I briefly (and, hopefully, accessibly) introduce some core academic concepts and ideas.



In...

Although originating in the dramatic theatre or narrative theatre, dramaturgy is an increasingly useful notion for describing the affective journey an audience goes on while watching a play or performance.



In episode four...

Princeton University physicist Paul Steinhardt relates how many top cosmologists simply ignore the problems with cosmic inflation.

Physicist Paul Steinhardt, Princeton University, relates how, once it became clear that the BICEP 2 experiment was flawed, many cosmologists were immediately able to reinterpret the new, opposite results as still supporting their theory.

Astrophysicist Scott Tremaine, Institute for Advanced Study, describes the many open scientific questions associated with Saturn and its rings, describing what we know, what we don’t know, and why we know there’s a problem with some of...

Physicist Paul Steinhardt, Princeton University, describes how many practicing scientists confidently assume that the unsolved problems of a theory will eventually be rectified rather than embracing the uncomfortable prospect of starting...

Imperial College cosmologist Claudia de Rham describes her view of how reinterpreting Einstein's theory of gravity in terms of particle physics gives a more coherent and elegant picture of the forces of nature.

Princeton University physicist Paul Steinhardt describes how many cosmologists simply ignore one of the most pronounced problems with the theory of cosmic inflation.

Quantum physicist Artur Ekert (Oxford and NUS) describes how quantum information science is a combination of theoretical and applied investigations.

University of Pennsylvania physicist Justin Khoury describes how, while many are convinced of the existence of dark matter rather than changing our understanding of the laws of gravity, we can’t yet be sure what the final outcome will be.

Nobel Laureate Antony Leggett details the logical fallacy of "affirming the consequent", stressing that we must always make sure that another model might explain the phenomenon in question, giving a concrete example to illustrate his point.

Particle physicist Nima Arkani-Hamed (Institute for Advanced Study) describes how popular science writing often communicates already outdated ideas to the public.

Princeton historian of science Michael Gordin reflects upon the so-called demarcation problem: how can we find a way to objectively distinguish science from pseudo-science? He relates how it’s a very old and surprisingly complex issue.

UC Berkeley sleep scientist Matthew Walker describes how the attitudes towards sleep science have evolved over the years, and how the impact of Sigmund Freud still strongly lingers.

Duke neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis explains how the mysterious phenomenon of “phantom limb pain” supports the theory that the brain is actively creating the world for us rather than simply recording sensory inputs, as was long believed...

Nobel Laureate in Physics Anthony Leggett (Illinois) describes how finding experimental support for a given theory doesn't mean that there aren't also alternative explanations out there.

Celebrated mathematical physicist and polymath Freeman Dyson (Institute for Advanced Study) modestly summarizes aspects of his scientific career.

Princeton historian of science Michael Gordin uses the example of Immanuel Velikovsky to describe how those on the fringe of academic disciplines have to be even more vigilant than others about ensuring that they keep out people they...

Astrophysicist Scott Tremaine, Institute for Advanced Study, gives the example of the particularities of our solar system to describe a common problem of astronomy and some other fields in the NS: determining whether what we see around...

Astrophysicist Scott Tremaine (Institute for Advanced Study) describes why we believe that dark matter exists.