#AcademicRunPlaylist - 10/11/25

The black walnut is definitely ready, and while eyeing the local edible flora I listened to books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World" by Samuel Moyn. This book tracks the development of ethical frameworks and then the concept of "human rights," splitting time between philosophical and historical developments. Moyn attributes an awful lot of influence to philosophers in recent decades, which seems like a massive overreach from my perspective. He does question that for a few paragraphs, but then quickly moves on. While very Western-focused early on, he does bring in some post-colonial African thought later. If you're interested in how philosophers are currently thinking about issues with the human rights framing, this is useful book https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674241398

Next was "The Catalyst" by Thomas Cech. This book provides an accessible introduction to what RNA is, its connection to different biological processes, and role in current and possibly future medical treatments. It's a bit disconnected, with the overarching message of "RNA is cool and important" coming through consistently, but not much beyond that. Still a good, quick read if you want a basic but scientifically grounded introduction to the topic https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324050681

Last was "Elite Capture" by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò. Táíwò lays out a compelling case that powerful people/institutions tend to twist even structures meant to amplify the influence of marginalized groups. I would've liked this to be longer, since what I consider to be legitimate questions around the importance of expertise in some settings isn't addressed. That being said, I loved how Táíwò casts a wide net here, constantly making the rounds internationally for cases or to interrogate different topics. Highly recommend https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1867-elite-capture