“Evangelical vaccine hesitancy is both an information problem and a spiritual problem.” With White Evangelicals leading the pack in refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19, David French posits that they’re more likely to listen to close friends rather than an institution they’ve been taught to distrust. “You can’t berate them into trusting institutions they may perceive to be distant, elitist, and hostile”. Instead, the door to persuading them to get vaccinated supposedly lies in starting with making them feel cared for. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
