Virtues and vices in a non-ideal world
Humans are prone to bias, irrationality, and various forms of prejudice. From an evolutionary perspective, this is no accident.
In praise of sloth
The hero of today’s blog post is the adjective “slow.” No words look less inspiring, but few are more opaque.
Supporting the future of peer review [podcast]
Every year, Peer Review Week honors the contributions of scientists, academics, and researchers in all fields for the hours of work they put into peer reviewing manuscripts to ensure quality work is published. This year, the theme of Peer Review Week is “The Future of Peer Review.”
Advancing open access in the UK
Oxford University Press (OUP) and Jisc, the education and research not-for-profit, have held a successful and productive Read & Publish (R&P) agreement since 2021. This report showcases a selection of the achievements of UK researchers who have published their work OA in an OUP journal via our agreement with Jisc.
How to succeed as a newly qualified doctor
There’s nothing like the reality of starting out as a newly qualified doctor; it is exciting, challenging and a relief after years of study to finally get on the wards.
Etymology as guesswork, being also a study in the history of the word guess
A good deal of our scholarship is guesswork, and today’s story deals with the origin and history of the word “guess.”
Illuminations and enlightenment throughout the history of the Middle East [reading list]
Explore the vast history of the Middle East in seven books and immerse yourself in the stories of the luminaries, leaders, moments, and the movements that shaped the intellectual and cultural landscape for the centuries that followed.
American English dialects: always changing, yet here to stay
Are Americans in different parts of the country starting to talk more alike? It’s a reasonable question to ask. Americans have always been footloose, and now that working remotely is possible, they’re relocating to other regions more than ever.
An etymological stinkpo(s)t
The Oxford Etymologist’s subject today is the origin of the verb “stink”.
Rising seas, eroding beaches, and fewer fish in Africa
Robert Paarlberg describes the impact of human-induced climate change and local economic and political forces on fishing communities in Code d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Five children’s classics that stand the test of time [reading list]
The books people remember most are often the ones from their childhoods, and it’s no surprise; many children’s books have survived decades of changing tastes and digital distractions, continuing to entertain generations of children and even adult readers.
Language peeves and the word peeve
The Oxford Etymologist considers the etymology of the word “peeve.”
The revelation of the Book of Mormon at 200 [podcast]
On today’s episode, we’re joined by two preeminent scholars on the history and theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to discuss with us the legacy of Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates as well as the state of academic scholarship surrounding The Book of Mormon.
No release from an etymological entanglement
The Oxford Etymologist responds to readers comments on his most recent blog post topics.
Communicative luck reduction: machine-like or social (or both)?
While we occasionally have the sense that we are rolling dice with words and hoping for good luck, meaning and communication would be impossible if we only and always succeed no better than luck would allow.
A few things at a glance
The Oxford Etymologist responds to readers comments on his most recent blog post topics.