What is 3 Quarks Daily and Why You Should Read It
If you are looking for a one-stop intellectual surfing experience that covers a wide range of topics, from science and philosophy to literature and politics, you might want to check out 3 Quarks Daily. This online news aggregator and blog curates commentary, essays, and multimedia from selected periodicals, newspapers, journals, and blogs, presenting them in an accessible and engaging way.
3quarksdaily.com
3 Quarks Daily was founded in 2004 by S. Abbas Raza, a Pakistani-American philosopher and writer who wanted to create a platform for intellectual discourse and exchange. The name of the site is inspired by the Nobel laureate physicist Murray Gell-Mann, who coined the term "quark" for the elementary particles that make up matter. Gell-Mann was also interested in the connections between science and other fields of human endeavor, such as art, literature, and culture. In his book The Quark and the Jaguar, he wrote: "Three quarks for Muster Mark! / Sure he hasn't got much of a bark / And sure any he has it's all beside the mark." This is a quote from Finnegans Wake by James Joyce, who used the word "quark" long before it was adopted by physics.
The editors of 3 Quarks Daily share this interdisciplinary curiosity and passion for knowledge. They are a diverse group of scholars, writers, artists, and professionals who have expertise in various fields and domains. They scour the web for interesting items from around the world, in the areas of science, design, literature, current affairs, art, politics, philosophy, and anything else they deem inherently fascinating. They also post a daily poem chosen by their poetry editor Jim Culleny, a weekly cartoon called Catspeak by Brooks Riley, a weekly photograph by S. Abbas Raza, and an occasional art image chosen by Sughra Raza.
But 3 Quarks Daily is not just an aggregator or a filter website. Every Monday, it publishes original, previously unpublished writing by its editors as well as a number of guest contributors. These articles and essays cover a wide range of topics and perspectives, reflecting the personal opinions and insights of the authors. The writers are free to express themselves without censorship or editorial interference. Sometimes they agree with each other and sometimes they don't. But they always strive to be informative, provocative, and entertaining.
3 Quarks Daily also hosts several annual prizes to recognize excellence in online writing in various categories: science, philosophy, politics, arts & literature. The winners are chosen by distinguished judges such as Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Akeel Bilgrami, Lewis Lapham, Janna Levin, Simon Critchley, Robert Pinsky, Zadie Smith, Colm Toibin, among others. The prizes aim to promote high-quality online writing and to foster a community of readers and writers who appreciate it.
3 Quarks Daily has been praised by many prominent intellectuals and celebrities for its eclectic and stimulating content. For instance, Richard Dawkins called it "one of the most interesting aggregators out there", Steven Pinker said it was "one of the best websites on the internet", Salman Rushdie described it as "a brilliant website", while Roger Ebert tweeted that it was "a website I visit every day".
If you are curious about the world and want to learn something new every day, you should definitely bookmark 3 Quarks Daily and visit it regularly. You will not be disappointed.
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