John Kaag

Oct 29, 2024 | theatlantic.com | John Kaag

In this age of information and surveillance, privacy has become a necessary watchword—a countermeasure to the constant documentation of what we say, do, buy, and consume. Though the implications of the term have changed with the rise of the internet and other digital technologies, people have long been wary of intrusion into their personal life.

Oct 20, 2024 | bostonglobe.com | John Kaag

The tourists have descended, a battalion armed with digital cameras, tripods, binoculars, and telephoto lenses. In the evenings they congregate at the Colonial Inn, in the town center of Concord, Mass., to share their leaf-peeping photos and drink beer. In the morning, families from monochrome states like New Mexico and Florida fan out into the nearby New England hills that, if they’re lucky, glow with a Technicolor splendor they can’t find at home. Of course, nothing is guaranteed.

Sep 1, 2024 | literaryreview.co.uk | John Kaag

In 1864, Colonel James Harvey Blood, wounded in the American Civil War, sought treatment from a ‘spiritual physician’ named Victoria Woodhull. In the midst of a trance, Victoria told him that they would get married. Never mind that he was already married, as was she: Blood accepted Victoria’s proposal on the spot, abandoned his wife and daughters and eloped with her to the Ozarks. The couple eventually settled in New York City, where they mixed radical politics with mysticism.

Aug 29, 2024 | theatlantic.com | John Kaag

Thirty years ago, when I was an eighth grader at a small public school in central Pennsylvania, my biology teacher informed us that we would be studying evolution, which she described as “an alternative theory to the story of divine creation.” She was usually imperturbable, but I remember noticing that, just for a moment, her voice had a certain tone; her face, a certain expression—an uncanny mix of anxiety, fear, and rage. Roughly a century ago, the trial of John T.

Aug 26, 2024 | fivebooks.com | John Kaag |Jonathan van Belle |William James

William James was a 19th-century American intellectual who made contributions to a range of disciplines including psychology and philosophy. Despite being written more than a century ago, his books continue to be recommended by experts on Five Books for a variety of reasons. A popular book introducing William James and why he’s still relevant today is Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by American philosopher John Kaag. William was the brother of novelist Henry James.