Jonathan Iwry | A war on ennui
(06/26/14 12:09am)
B laise Pascal once wrote that when a soldier complains about his difficult life, “try giving him nothing to do.”
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Jonathan Iwry | Eye of the B-holder
(06/11/14 11:37pm)
A specter is haunting hip-hop — the specter of Lil B.
Jonathan Iwry | On drinking hemlock
(04/30/14 11:31pm)
T he following is an unapologetic defense of my liberal arts education. This is the most publicity my philosophy career will likely ever receive; with two weeks left as an undergraduate, I feel compelled to speak the truth.
Jonathan Iwry | The secular Jew
(04/17/14 1:19am)
In 1882, Friedrich Nietzsche declared that God was dead. He was speaking figuratively, of course, about the Western world’s loss of religious faith. Although distrustful of religion himself, Nietzsche’s dramatic declaration reflected genuine concern. If we’ve abandoned our faith in God, is modern life without a universal source of meaning?
Jonathan Iwry | Turn down for what, exactly?
(04/09/14 11:01pm)
It’s that time of year again.
Jonathan Iwry | Can dogs look up?
(04/01/14 9:53pm)
O f th e many things that make “Shaun of the Dead” a cult classic, one that stands out is the protagonists’ movie-long dispute over whether dogs can look up.
Jonathan Iwry | Louder than words
(03/27/14 1:15am)
T he tragedies of this past winter continue to weigh on our minds. While the inevitable din of investigation, opinion and reflection has finally started to subside, calls for increased dialogue and awareness are as present as ever.
Jonathan Iwry | What is the human condition?
(02/24/14 10:32pm)
T o the linguistics graduate student I met at Tap House several weeks ago:
Jonathan Iwry | Reflections on the mortal coil
(02/18/14 11:54pm)
M ic hel de Montai gne once wrote that to philosophize is to learn how to die. That’s easy enough to say - as a philosophy major, I have spent many a term paper trying to solve some of the most intransigent questions ever asked. Death is not an unfamiliar topic.
Jonathan Iwry | A different kind of 'Heist'
(02/05/14 10:32pm)
Last August, I was asked to join the Penn Reading Project’s NSO panel discussion for the incoming Class of 2017. The topic was hip-hop and its relationship to poetry and society. After freestyling for the freshmen, I received an awkward yet insightful question about the place of white rappers in a predominantly black genre. The panel host politely selected a different one.
Jonathan Iwry | Into the whirlpool
(02/04/14 4:05am)
I remember my first semester vividly. Like most freshmen, I wanted to get involved on campus, and campus was happy to oblige. I was greeted by a barrage of posters and sign-up sheets competing to woo me for my email address. Two weeks into school, and listserv welcome emails were blowing up my laptop faster than I could read them.
Jonathan Iwry | Social Media and the New Modernity
(01/26/14 9:42pm)
Driving back from a party over break, I witnessed a friend experience something between an epiphany and a mental breakdown. He felt as though technology was engulfing his life and asked whether our generation had sold its soul to social media. “This isn’t what I signed up for,” he confessed, “and I don’t think I want it anymore.”
Jonathan Iwry | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
(01/23/14 3:38am)
Greek organizations, like any institution, are as good as the individuals who constitute them. Some of my best friends have come from Greek life. I’ve also seen people change drastically throughout the years — some for the best, others otherwise — as a result of their experiences in fraternities and sororities.