Topic: Plato

Vatican, Bodleian Libraries will publish millions of ancient texts online

Works that will be available for perusal will include Gutenberg's Bible, believed to be the first text ever printed.

8 reasons America is not in decline

As many as 70 percent of Americans believe that the United States is in decline. And who can blame them? High unemployment. Crushing debt. Political gridlock. For all the unrelenting gloom, Old Dominion University political science professor Steve Yetiv explains that America remains strong in key areas, unlikely to be superseded by another country anytime soon. He urges readers to consider these 8 facts:

Da Vinci’s Ghost

Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man has been called the world's most famous drawing. But what does it mean?

What does Play-Doh have to do with Plato? A mother's battle with the college essay

My son and I knew these admission essays were important. But the advice on the bookstore shelves overwhelmed us. For students hoping to meet the last few application deadlines: Forget high-priced college consultants and turn instead to the real experts, the essayists themselves.

Is America over? Not by a long shot.

American decline is the conventional wisdom, as the United States suffers from high unemployment, crushing debt, and political gridlock. Here's the bigger picture: a competitive and innovative economy, reliable allies, a superior military, and foreign autocrats on the run.

Why you should love your city more than your country

Patriotism applies to countries, while 'civicism' applies to cities – where more than half the world's population lives. As the world urbanizes, a new class of global cities is competing for the affection of residents and tourists. There are several reasons to welcome this development.

She brings Shakespeare, Plato, and high academic goals to teen mothers

The Care Center, in Holyoke, Mass., uses private school and even college coursework to challenge teen moms to aim higher.

To tax is to destroy

Taxing citizens destroys freedom, prosperity, and market efficiency

Euphemistically speaking

The impulse to find more refined ways to talking about unpleasant truths is a constant of the human experience; what changes over time are the topics deemed to need sugarcoating.

Lost City of Atlantis found – again – this time in Guatemala

Retired German math teacher Joachim Rittstieg says ancient Dresden Codex and Mayan priests guided him to the legendary Atlantis in eastern Guatemala.

Lost city of Atlantis may be found in waters off Spain

Lost city of Atlantis: A team of researchers say they have found the Lost city of Atlantis off the coast of Spain. The city, documented only by Plato's 'dialogues,' is thought to have been hit by a massive tsunami and swallowed into the sea.

Summer camp for book lovers

Great Books Summer Camp introduces young book lovers to literature they would not typically encounter in the classroom.

Behavioral economists, can people really know what they want?

Economists assume a normative standard of preferences for people. But what if those preferences don't exist?

The Hidden Reality

Brian Greene’s latest foray into the great beyond explores the possibility that there is not one big uncharted universe but many.

Interview with Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of "36 Arguments for the Existence of God"

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein talks about her novel "36 Arguments for the Existence of God" – a book that goes places bestselling fiction normally avoids.

On its 150th anniversary, US Civil War matters more than ever

The conflict between North and South stands as one of the only civil wars in human history that did not end in monarchy or dictatorship. Its lessons hold enduring value for the modern struggle to defend liberal democratic principles without compromising them in times of existential crisis.

Is today's fiction irrelevant?

The blogosphere debates: Are today's novels merely clever where they should be deep?

Hamlet’s BlackBerry

Mining Plato, Shakespeare, and Thoreau for tips on better living in the digital age.

The Diamond Dog

Diane Wakoski’s skill at mythmaking allows her to spin personal loss into engaging verse.

China vs. America: Which government model will triumph?

If the 20th century was about the competition between democracy and totalitarianism, the 21st century pits the excesses of consumer democracy against capable governance with too little democratic accountability.

The Fourth Part of the World

The bizarre story of how the planet Earth came to be represented on paper.

How do you say 'town hall meeting' in Mandarin?

After Obama's session with Chinese students, the Monitor's language columnist considers the nuances of town meetings, town-hall meetings, and town-hall-style meetings.

The Republic

A twitter tour of Western philosophy

What if Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, and Hume had been able to tweet their thoughts?

Clunker of a policy? Yup.

I got cash for my clunker, but the program – which ends Monday – hasn't done much to stimulate or green the economy.