It was Aristotle who urged philosophers (and by extension, today’s scientists) to “carve nature at the joint.” (Think of how carving a Thanksgiving turkey at its joints recognizes the bird’s basic ...

“On your feet!” our commanding officer hollers. My bunkmates and I stand at attention as he goes down the line, inspecting and seeing us, I feel, as cogs in a machine, not humans. I glance at the ...