In Context #9

Spring 2003

Feature Articles

“How Does a Mole View the World?”
By Craig Holdrege
Not like we do, you can be sure — especially when its senses are focused in the remarkable tactility of a “star” nose. We gain a glimpse into a radically different world.

“To Explain or Portray?”
By Stephen L. Talbott
The conventional scientific aim of explaining the world may present us with an impoverished understanding compared to the potentials of portrayal. Goethe said his aim was to portray rather than to explain; what does this mean?

Notes and Reviews

“The Case of Mexican Maize”
By Johannes Wirz
How politics and commerce compromised a scientific inquiry into the contamination of native corn by genetically engineered varieties.

“African Impressions (Part 2)”
By Craig Holdrege
The author continues to relate some of the experiences on his first trip to Africa, focusing especially on people and some of the smaller animals.