Theater historian Matthew Wilson Smith, the Donald Andrews Whittier Fellow at the Humanities Center, explains how virtual reality's roots go back to the operas of Richard Wagner and before. Professor Smith teaches in the Departments of German Studies and Theater and Performance Studies at Stanford. His books...

When the Founding Fathers were drafting the U.S. Constitution, the world around them had been dominated by kingdoms and empires for almost two millennia. But they looked back to an unusual moment in ancient history—the Classical period—and said, “That's what we want.”   It was an extremely bold move for them to...

Before they head out, Humanities Center fellows offer a few book suggestions for the holiday break. Curl up with these recommendations. Michael Bratman, Faculty Fellow, Department of Philosophy, Stanford Hans Keilson, The Death of the Adversary (Penguin Books)(translated by Ivo Jarosy) "This is an extraordinary,...