Sign in Subscribe

History

The Terrifying Cost of Genius: A Review of When We Cease to Understand the World

The Terrifying Cost of Genius: A Review of When We Cease to Understand the World

History often remembers scientific breakthroughs as moments of pure light, such as the apple falling, the "Eureka!" in the bathtub. But in Benjamín Labatut’s When We Cease to Understand the World, we are reminded that the light of discovery often casts a long, terrifying shadow.

Had Cromwell lived . . .

Had Cromwell lived . . .

Here’s an exploration of what might have unfolded if Cromwell had weathered the court intrigues of 1540 and stayed at Henry’s side through to his death in 1547—and beyond.