On the Mygalomorphae (Araneae) of Michigan

The discovery of a population of Antrodiaetus unicolor (Hentz) in Michigan is reported, resulting in the first state record for the mygalomorph family Antrodiaetidae. New county records for another mygalomorph spider, Sphodros niger (Hentz) (Atypidae), including one which represents a significant Michigan range extension, are presented and the occurrence of the genus in Michigan is clarified

Friends, Foes, and Nel Noddings on Liberal Education

The author analyzes the debate over liberal education, focusing on critic Nel Noddings, who advocates alternative education. The author cites Noddings\u27 article Conversation as Moral Education, where Noddings identifies traditional education as studying the canon of Great Books, and another article in which Noddings discusses the theory of curricula

American Populism Shouldn’t Have to Embrace Ignorance

Public ignorance is an inherent threat to democracy. It breeds superstition, prejudice, and error; and it prevents both a clear-eyed understanding of the world and the formulation of wise policies to adapt to that world. Plato believed it was more than a threat: He thought it characterized democracies, and would lead them inevitably into anarchy and ultimately tyranny. But the liberal democracies of the modern era, grudgingly extending suffrage, have extended public education in parallel, in the hope of cultivating an informed citizenry. Yet today, given the persistence and severity of public ignorance, the ideal of an enlightened electorate seems a fading wish at best, a cruel folly at worst. (excerpt