[{"id":309297,"date":"2026-08-13T18:26:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/?p=309297"},"modified":"2026-08-13T18:26:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:26:50","slug":"c-p-snow-vs-f-r-leavis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/3quarksdaily\/2026\/08\/c-p-snow-vs-f-r-leavis.html","title":{"rendered":"C P Snow Vs. F R Leavis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Dresser at Aeon Magazine<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\"\"Pretty much everybody, on both sides of the Atlantic, was appalled by Leavis\u2019s cruelty, by the searing petulance so unexpectedly served up in the hallowed halls of an ancient university. The English writer Hilary Corke, after allowing that Snow\u2019s lecture was \u2018not very original\u2019, spoke for many startled onlookers when he wrote that \u2018there is really not the slightest reason why the thought of the good Snow should bring blood-flecked froth to the mouth.\u2019<\/p>\n

But froth Leavis did. Why? Because, for Leavis, Snow had become a symbol of the times, the primary example of its vacuity, its thoughtlessness, its bloodlessness. The point is that for Snow to be considered a \u2018sage\u2019 \u2013 and he was \u2013 then something very wrong had happened to intellectual life. As Leavis says, it was the fact that prospective students of Downing College, Cambridge continued to reference Snow\u2019s lecture in their applications that set him off \u2013 as if Snow was anything like the \u2018great English novelists\u2019 that he once enumerated with typical definitiveness (Jane Austen, George Eliot, Henry James and Joseph Conrad). In a world attuned to the values of great literature, Snow would\u2019ve been laughed into annihilation; instead, he was crowned a leader of thought. So, in taking down Snow, Leavis meant to take down the whole soulless system that had raised him up in the first place.<\/p>\n

more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sam Dresser at Aeon Magazine: Pretty much everybody, on both sides of the Atlantic, was appalled by Leavis\u2019s cruelty, by the searing petulance so unexpectedly served up in the hallowed halls of an ancient university. The English writer Hilary Corke, after allowing that Snow\u2019s lecture was \u2018not very original\u2019, spoke for many startled onlookers when…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5918],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommended-reading","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":309365,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309297\/revisions\/309365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":309350,"date":"2026-08-13T14:45:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T18:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/?p=309350"},"modified":"2026-08-13T08:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T12:38:25","slug":"review-of-the-ghost-of-the-mountains-by-kulbhushansingh-suryawanshi-the-secrets-of-the-snow-leopard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/3quarksdaily\/2026\/08\/review-of-the-ghost-of-the-mountains-by-kulbhushansingh-suryawanshi-the-secrets-of-the-snow-leopard.html","title":{"rendered":"Review of “The Ghost of the Mountains” by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi \u2013 the secrets of the snow leopard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edward Posnett in The Guardian<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\"\"When bored, try the following game \u2013 I call it \u201cPurr or Roar?\u201d. Take any feline and guess whether it can purr or roar (it cannot do both because purring and roaring require different anatomical structures). Some candidates are easy: any child knows that lions and tigers roar and that a tabby does not. But between the great cats and our pets are numerous other species, from lynxes to panthers, whose anatomy is not so easy to infer. A leopard, for instance? Roar (or growl). The discreet, mountain-dwelling snow leopard? Purr.<\/p>\n

The snow leopard is the protagonist of Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi\u2019s first book, a compelling and intimate look at this elusive mountain specialist. An Indian conservationist and mountaineer, Suryawanshi pursues the creature through the Himalayas and Gobi desert. This is a gritty and detailed portrait of an often misunderstood and endangered species in an increasingly hostile, crowded and hot environment.<\/p>\n

More here<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edward Posnett in The Guardian: When bored, try the following game \u2013 I call it \u201cPurr or Roar?\u201d. Take any feline and guess whether it can purr or roar (it cannot do both because purring and roaring require different anatomical structures). Some candidates are easy: any child knows that lions and tigers roar and that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5918],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommended-reading","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309350"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":309353,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309350\/revisions\/309353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":309348,"date":"2026-08-13T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T17:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/?p=309348"},"modified":"2026-08-13T08:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T12:34:27","slug":"how-should-the-us-prepare-for-increasingly-automated-ai-rd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/3quarksdaily\/2026\/08\/how-should-the-us-prepare-for-increasingly-automated-ai-rd.html","title":{"rendered":"How should the US prepare for increasingly automated AI R&D?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Institute For Progress:<\/p>\n

In July 2026, over 1,300 employees of frontier AI companies called for the US government to build the capacity to \u201cpace\u201d automated AI R&D via international coordination.1<\/sup>\u00a0The letter entails three specific claims:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
      \n
    1. Frontier AI companies are close to fully automating AI R&D.<\/li>\n
    2. Automating AI research would pose serious risks.<\/li>\n
    3. Building the option to \u201cpace\u201d is a good way to address those risks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      In this report, we assess the validity of this argument and its implications for US policymakers. Our findings are as follows:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n
          \n
        • Rapid progress towards fully automated AI R&D has empirical support, but how much AI capability acceleration this will cause and the risks it might pose are less understood.<\/li>\n
        • Despite substantial uncertainty, we believe some preparatory policy action is warranted. This follows both from the seriousness of the possible direct risks and from the risk of political backlash to AI-driven disruptions resulting in poorly-reasoned policy measures, such as\u00a0broad bans<\/u><\/a>\u00a0on new data centers.<\/li>\n
        • The term \u201cpacing\u201d is vague and could encompass many possible policy measures. Any decision to slow down AI progress should not be taken lightly. The benefits of more advanced AI could include accelerated economic growth, new technologies, and scientific breakthroughs such as novel cures for diseases.<\/li>\n
        • Yet, if AI companies succeed in substantially or fully automating AI R&D, and that automation introduces serious risks, the policy tradeoffs would look very different.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          More here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          From the Institute For Progress: In July 2026, over 1,300 employees of frontier AI companies called for the US government to build the capacity to \u201cpace\u201d automated AI R&D via international coordination.1\u00a0The letter entails three specific claims: Frontier AI companies are close to fully automating AI R&D. Automating AI research would pose serious risks. Building…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5918],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommended-reading","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":309349,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309348\/revisions\/309349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":309345,"date":"2026-08-13T12:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T16:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/?p=309345"},"modified":"2026-08-13T08:28:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T12:28:02","slug":"don-quixote-the-first-modern-novel-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3quarksdaily.com\/3quarksdaily\/2026\/08\/don-quixote-the-first-modern-novel-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Don Quixote: The First Modern Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"