It’s Not ‘I Think, Therefore I Am,’ It’s ‘I Pay Attention, Therefore I Am’

For many cognitive scientists these days, “the idea that there is a substantive self is passé. When cognitive scientists aim to provide an empirical account of the self, it is simply an account of our sense of self – why it is that we think we have a self. What we don’t find is an account of a self with independent powers, responsible for directing attention and resolving conflicts of will. … So what is a substantive self?” Philosopher/cognitive scientist Carolyn Dicey Jennings offers an answer.

Checking Out The Youth Theater Where Tina Fey Got Her Start

“Fey is an alum of Upper Darby Summer Stage, a recreation program at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center that has exposed countless kids to musical theater since 1976. Founded by musician, director, and educator Harry Dietzler and administered by Upper Darby Township” – just across the city line from West Philadelphia – “Summer Stage gives practical experience to would-be actors and singers, directors, lighting designers, and set builders, who mount six children’s shows and a main-stage musical each season. They are guided by teachers, voice coaches, and directors, many of whom grew up in the program.”

Construction Begins On Manchester’s New Arts Hub

“The cube-shaped building, scheduled to open in 2020, will be the first major UK commission for Rem Koolhaas’s OMA architectural practice. The centre for art, theatre, dance and music events” – known as The Factory – “will form part of the new St John’s neighbourhood, to be built on the site of the former Granada TV studios in the city centre.”

Alt-Right Makes Art A Target (Ah, It’s A Grand Tradition)

Art, particularly avant-gardist art, has long been the target of conservatives in all countries. Art is part of the great fraud that is being perpetrated on ordinary people: It is an extension of the media and therefore always fake news. The speech is explicit about the role of art in the hoax: “They use their singers and comedy stars and award shows to repeat their narrative over and over again.”

How New Generation Classical Musicians Are Selling Their Art

Nadia Sirota: “When I got to Juilliard in 2000, I encountered a pretty sad, fatalistic attitude: We’re teaching you something we all love and believe in but we don’t know how to get you employed.” She and her friends were energized by that depression, convinced that a) classical music couldn’t possibly be dying since it felt so intense and essential to them, and b) the only way to save it was to sell it to their uninitiated peers.

Old Library Card Catalogs Were Wondrous Things

“Waxing nostalgic about card catalogs or being an advocate for the importance of libraries is a mug’s game. You can practically feel people glancing up from their iPhones to smile tolerantly at your eccentricity. My response to this, after an initial burst of profanity, is to explain (again) why libraries are essential to narrowing the inequality gap, and why the Internet is not an adequate substitute for books or libraries.”