Edward Tenner

Edward Tenner is a historian of technology and culture. He was a founding advisor of Smithsonian's Lemelson Center and holds a Ph.D in European history. More

Edward Tenner is an independent writer and speaker on the history of technology and the unintended consequences of innovation. He holds a Ph.D. in European history from the University of Chicago and was executive editor for physical science and history at Princeton University Press. A former member of the Harvard Society of Fellows and John Simon Guggenheim fellow, he has been a visiting lecturer at Princeton and has held visiting research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy. He is now a visiting scholar in the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and an affiliate of the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. He was a founding advisor of Smithsonian's Lemelson Center, where he remains a senior research associate.
Benoit Mandelbrot the Maverick, 1924-2010

Benoit Mandelbrot the Maverick, 1924-2010

Benoit Mandelbrot was a brilliant and controversial thinker More »

The Humanities in the Marketplace: Major Misconceptions?

The Humanities in the Marketplace: Major Misconceptions?

Many students use English or History degrees to launch satisfying and successful careers More »

Should Artists Favor Bush Tax Cuts?

Should Artists Favor Bush Tax Cuts?

Do higher taxes stifle our nation's creativity? More »

Revenge of the Paperless Office

Revenge of the Paperless Office

What happens when an old legal system implements new technology? More »

Glenn Beck, Woodrow Wilson, and Liberalism

Glenn Beck, Woodrow Wilson, and Liberalism

There is more of President Wilson in the Tea Party movement than its leaders would like to acknowledge More »

Plagiarize This Post

Plagiarize This Post

Is there any difference between scholarly citations and journalistic referencing? More »

The Segway Tragedy's Real Lesson

The Segway Tragedy's Real Lesson

Jimi Heselden was the victim not of spectacular folly, but of the confidence that comes with skill and success More »

Science: The New Humanities?

Science: The New Humanities?

What does the future hold for America's technical work force? More »

Making Things Perfectly Unclear

Making Things Perfectly Unclear

Should writers make it deliberately difficult for readers to understand their writing? More »

Revenge of the Recliner?

Revenge of the Recliner?

An Australian study finds health risks associated with unemployment and long term time off work More »

America's Lost Tech Revolutions

America's Lost Tech Revolutions

Does the closing of the last incandescent light bulb factory signify the end of American ingenuity? More »

Educational Excellence Bites Back

Educational Excellence Bites Back

While the American educational system is far from perfect, the models abroad aren't much better More »

Krugman's Prophecy Coming True?

Krugman's Prophecy Coming True?

The devaluation of education has heightened job insecurity in white collar fields More »

Bloody-Minded Philosophers

Bloody-Minded Philosophers

This week's Discovery Channel incident, like the unabomber incident, gives too much attention to terrorist activities More »

When Fighting 'Lies' Bites Back

When Fighting 'Lies' Bites Back

Timothy Egan's recent blog post shows how good opinion pieces often reinforce the ideas they intend to repudiate More »

When Computers Predict Crime

Cops want to use computers to predict when and where crime will happen, but will it work? More »

The Secret's in the Dirt

The Secret's in the Dirt

A recent study shows that bacteria is actually good for us More »

The Rostenkowski Legacy Revisited

The Rostenkowski Legacy Revisited

Where does Chicago stand as a technocracy? More »

Man and Ape at Harvard

Man and Ape at Harvard

A journal's retraction of a well-known paper on moral sense in primates is causing a stir More »

Higher Education's Tech Dilemmas

Higher Education's Tech Dilemmas

From e-readers to Microsoft Office, technology serves corporate interests better than academic ones More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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