Changes to the definitions of conceptual words like ‘woke’ and ‘gaslighting’ are harming our ability to communicate and understand our experiences, a Leeds academic argues. In a new paper published in The Philosophical Quarterly journal, an ethicist at the University of Leeds has coined a term for the harm caused when language change leaves us lost for...
Culture
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What America’s First Board Game Can Teach Us About the Aspirations of a Young Nation
In 2023 alone, the board game industry topped US$16.8 billion and is projected to reach $40.1 billion by 2032. Classics like “Scrabble” are being refreshed and transformed, while newer inventions such as “Pandemic” and “Wingspan” have garnered millions of devotees. This growing cardboard empire was on my mind when I visited the American Antiquarian Society...
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Biogeographical Evidence Shows Trickster Animal Folklore Limited by Environmental Factors
Humans have the capacity to imagine civilizations and creatures that have never existed, and our language reflects that ability. It would therefore be understandable if the stories we tell ourselves stretched beyond the bounds of local ecology. However, research has shown that many cultural artifacts and ideas are strongly affected by environmental factors. Researchers in...
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Cheers to a Long and Lasting Relationship! Literally!
If you’re like me, you enjoy savoring a well-poured cocktail, glass of wine, or regional ale with your partner, on a fairly regular basis. You might also enjoy sharing sips of each other’s drinks and taking notes, comparing and contrasting each other’s beverages. We thought we were indulging in this because it just tasted good...
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In the Age of Cancel Culture, Shaming Can Be Healthy for Online Communities – a Political Scientist Explains When and How
“Cancel culture” has a bad reputation. There is growing anxiety over this practice of publicly shaming people online for violating social norms ranging from inappropriate jokes to controversial business practices. Online shaming can be a wildly disproportionate response that violates the privacy of the shamed while offering them no good way to defend themselves. These...
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What Kinds of Seismic Signals Did Swifties Send at LA Concert?
Seattle may have experienced its own Swift Quake last July, but at an August 2023 concert Taylor Swift’s fans in Los Angeles gave scientists a lot of shaking to ponder. After some debate, a research team led by Gabrielle Tepp of Caltech concluded that it was likely the dancing and jumping motions of the audience at SoFi...
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The Role of History in How Efficient Color Names Evolve
Suppose two speakers of the same language are playing a guessing game where each has the same color swatches, and Player 1 tries to get Player 2 to guess a hue by naming the color. If the second player consistently guesses correctly as often as possible, that indicates their language has an efficient color naming...
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Unveiling the Sustainability Landscape in Cultural Organizations: a Global Benchmark
Are museums, theaters, and opera houses truly walking the talk when it comes to social and environmental sustainability? The University of Lausanne (UNIL) delved into this pressing question, conducting an international survey with over 200 major cultural organizations. The verdict? While there’s significant room for improvement across the spectrum, Anglophone countries lead the charge. Cultural...
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Community Culture Shapes Ceramics
Archeologists have long used the shapes and styles of pottery as a proxy for ancient cultures. But how does the cultural alignment of ceramic forms arise? To explore this question, Tetsushi Nonaka and colleagues asked 21 potters in three different communities—one in France in Bourgogne and two in India in Bulandshahar district, Uttar Pradesh—to throw...
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Many Reported Gender Differences May Actually Be Power Differences
Why do men and women seem so different? According to a study, a wide range of gender differences that have been attributed to biological sex may actually be due to differences in power. Psychological differences between men and women have multiple possible explanations, including natural selection for sex-specific adaptations on the one hand and socialization...
