New Books in Intellectual History

The rabbinic sages of antiquity are known for their sophisticated and creative reading of Scripture. But beginning in the third century CE, these sages also took on extensive commentary on another kind of text: the sages' own teachings. Focusing on the first collection attesting to this branch of scholarship, the oft-neglected Talmud Yerushalmi, The Rise of Talmud (Princeton University Press, 2025) argues that this new project presented a wide-ranging transformation of the sages' scholarly practice and self-perception. On the one hand, it engaged premises and methods distinct from those the sages applied to Scripture, such as textual criticism and the interpretation of texts in light of the individuals to whom they were attributed. On the other hand, this book shows, this distinct approach did not stem from preexisting differences in the conceptions of Scripture and rabbinic teachings: it reflected a broad reconceptualization of the tradition, diverging from how these teachings were construed by earlier generations. Recognizing these unique aspects of ancient Talmudic scholarship centers its development as a pivotal moment in Jewish intellectual history and offers a richer picture of rabbinic hermeneutics; it also allows us to situate it better among other scholarly traditions of the Greco-Roman world and to examine how different ideas, aims, and contexts shape textual scholarship—including our own. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review. Moulie Vidas is Associate Professor of Religion and the Program in Judaic Studies at Princeton University. Michael Motia teaches Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

A full century ago, a young and relatively unknown philosophy instructor in a small town in Germany would publish a book that would be swiftly picked up and radically reshape the intellectual landscape around it. Everything published before could now be reread in a new light, while everything after would often be seen as a sort of development in response to this book. Its author was Martin Heidegger, and the book was his Being and Time (Yale UP, 2026), one of the most important and influential works in the history of philosophy. Due to the difficulty of the text, filled with dense neologisms or unconventional uses of common terms, Heidegger’s work has proven a consistent challenge for any translator trying to render him in English. The first attempt was by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson in 1962, with a repeated attempt by one of Heidegger’s students, Joan Stambaugh, arriving in 1995, with revisions by Dennis Schmidt in 2010. Now in 2026, Cyril Welch has brought his own translation to publication. Initial work began several decades ago in his classroom where he was trying to teach the text, and so he started offering up his own translations of key passages for his students. Over time these translations were revised and added to until eventually he found he had enough to consider formal publication. The publication was held back for some time, but now is finally able to come to light, giving both seasoned and fresh readers of Heidegger a chance to read his work anew. Cyril Welch is professor emeritus of philosophy at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Mark Thomas Edwards, Professor of U.S. history and politics and author of a new Walter Lippmann biography, explores Lippmann’s life, religious thought, and political influence. He traces Lippmann’s turn from Judaism to agnosticism, his calls for moral alternatives in a post-Christian America, and his shifting, contrarian political stances across journalism, foreign policy, and civil religion.

W. Patrick McCray, historian of technology and UCSB professor, explores how books made computers familiar and culturally significant. He surveys key nonfiction works from cybernetics and early AI to personal computing and the web. Short, vivid scenes trace publishing, bestselling surprises, and how texts seeded technical communities and shaped public imagination.

Neilesh Bose, Professor of History at the University of Victoria and author of Chips from a Calcutta Workshop, studies 19th-century Indian comparative religion. He traces intellectual currents around the Brāhmo and Arya reform movements. Short takes cover Rammohan Roy, Debendranath Tagore, Keshab Chandra Sen, and Vivekananda. The conversation highlights sources, surprising centrality of the Vedas and Upanishads, and why this project matters.

Shelley Puhak, former English professor turned full-time writer, revisits the Elizabeth Bathory legend with fresh archival sleuthing. She unpacks political motives, wartime scapegoating, and how rumor became monstrous myth. Puhak also ties the case to tactics used to destroy powerful women and maps out avenues for further research.

Vanessa Rampton, historian and philosopher of medicine at the University of St. Gallen and McGill, explores how the idea of medical progress has been shaped by religion, war, bioethics and politics. She traces shifts from Enlightenment hopes to postwar innovation, tensions between high-tech care and public health, and contemporary drivers like AI and genomics. The conversation ends with futures centered on justice and sustainability.

Laura K. Field, political theorist and author of Furious Minds, maps the intellectual currents behind the MAGA New Right. She profiles three schools of thought and how academic ideas moved into power. Short, sharp takes cover Claremont-style nativism, postliberal Catholic traditionalism, and national conservatism’s admiration for strongman models.

Hang Tu, Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies at NUS and scholar of emotion in literature, discusses how feelings shaped post-Mao debates. He traces four emotional intellectual clusters and recounts the Red Guard generation’s role. Short scenes examine liberal mourning, leftist melancholy, nationalist resentment, and how affect steers memory and political power.

Daniel R. Langton, Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester, explores how Jewish thinkers wrestled with evolutionary theory. He traces diverse responses across theology, mysticism, and modernity. Short takes examine panentheism, debates over creation and morality, and the shifting landscape from liberal adaptation to postwar retrenchment.