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Philosophy

‘Everyday Utopia’—a radically hopeful vision for contented and connected societies
Split image showing book jacket reading "Everyday Utopia" on the left and picture of author Kristen Ghodsee on the right.

Kristen R. Ghodsee’s new book offers a radically hopeful vision for how to build more contented and connected societies, alongside a practical guide to what we all can do to live the good life each and every day.

(Image: Courtesy of Simon & Schuster and Kristen R. Ghodsee)

‘Everyday Utopia’—a radically hopeful vision for contented and connected societies

In her new book, Kristen R. Ghodsee of the School of Arts & Sciences takes readers on a tour through history and around the world to explore places that have dared to reimagine how we might live our daily lives.

Kristen de Groot

Your health data is not secure: What can we do about it?

Your health data is not secure: What can we do about it?

Anita Allen of Penn Carey Law and the School of Arts & Sciences says that the rise of big data and artificial intelligence in the digital economy has made it increasingly difficult for individuals to exercise meaningful control over the collection, manipulation, and use of medically related information.

Four Penn faculty named 2023 Guggenheim Fellows
a grid of four faces

Four faculty have been awarded the prestigious 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship: (clockwise from upper left) Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School; and Heather K. Love, professor of English; Jennifer M. Morton, professor of philosophy; and Projit Bihari Mukharji, professor of history and sociology of science in the School of Arts & Sciences.

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Four Penn faculty named 2023 Guggenheim Fellows

PIK Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel, and Heather K. Love, Jennifer M. Morton, and Projit Bihari Mukharji of the School of Arts & Sciences have been awarded the prestigious fellowship.

Louisa Shepard

The Big Bang at 75
An image of a nebula, a giant cloud of dust and gas in space.

Where did the cosmos come from? This question has long been part of human speculation, says Vijay Balasubramanian. Today, thanks to scientists like Ralph Alpher and George Gamow, we have a rough picture: Some 13 billion years ago, the universe was a hot, dense state that cooled as it expanded. 

(Image: NASA via Unsplash.)

The Big Bang at 75

Theoretical physicist Vijay Balasubramanian discusses the 75th anniversary of the alpha-beta-gamma paper, what we know—and don’t know—about the universe and the “very big gaps” left to discover.

Kristina Linnea García

Penn fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian named George J. Mitchell Scholar
Vikram Balasubramanian standing in front of a leafy hedge wearing a suit and tie

Fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian has been selected as one of 12 in the nation to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of graduate study in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Penn fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian named George J. Mitchell Scholar

Fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian, a double-major in statistics and philosophy in the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as one of 12 in the nation to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of graduate study in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Louisa Shepard

Defining neural ‘representation’
A computer screen displays the brain activity of a man with electrodes on his head.

Neuroscientists use the word “represent” to encompass multifaceted relationships between brain activity, behavior, and the environment.

Defining neural ‘representation’

Neuroscientists frequently say that neural activity ‘represents’ certain phenomena, PIK Professor Konrad Kording and postdoc Ben Baker led a study that took a philosophical approach to tease out what the term means.

Marilyn Perkins

Exploring what it means to be curious
Book cover of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection by Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett along side image of the two scholars

Exploring what it means to be curious

In a new book “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection,” Penn’s Dani S. Bassett and twin sibling Perry Zurn weave together history, linguistics, network science, neuroscience, and philosophy to unpack the concept of curiosity.

Katherine Unger Baillie