Kathryn Schulz

And he says, you know, we only ever really pay attention to the places they perch, which in his mind is like, you know, the nouns and the verbs and the adjectives, like the really obvious things. Like Ezra Klein, you're a noun, you're a bird perched somewhere. We can talk about Ezra Klein or, you know, we can talk about a rainstorm or a word like red. It feels like it has content for us.

And he says, you know, we only ever really pay attention to the places they perch, which in his mind is like, you know, the nouns and the verbs and the adjectives, like the really obvious things. Like Ezra Klein, you're a noun, you're a bird perched somewhere. We can talk about Ezra Klein or, you know, we can talk about a rainstorm or a word like red. It feels like it has content for us.

So there's all this stuff that happens when the birds are flying around, which is the and and the if and the or, these kind of subtle but absolutely crucial elements of our thought that we don't pay attention to and yet profoundly shape what we're able to think and what we think about and the way that we think.

So there's all this stuff that happens when the birds are flying around, which is the and and the if and the or, these kind of subtle but absolutely crucial elements of our thought that we don't pay attention to and yet profoundly shape what we're able to think and what we think about and the way that we think.

He says, you know, there should be a feel of and just as much as we have a sense of a feel for blue or cold or Ezra Klein. And that was incredibly helpful to me because I thought, oh, yeah, that's kind of what I'm here to do. I'm here to try to figure out what's the feeling of and. Like, what is this idea? What is this word doing for us?

He says, you know, there should be a feel of and just as much as we have a sense of a feel for blue or cold or Ezra Klein. And that was incredibly helpful to me because I thought, oh, yeah, that's kind of what I'm here to do. I'm here to try to figure out what's the feeling of and. Like, what is this idea? What is this word doing for us?

And what's the role that it plays in language, which is a different way of saying what's the role that it plays in how we think?

And what's the role that it plays in language, which is a different way of saying what's the role that it plays in how we think?

So a little bit in distinction from every other conjunction that the English language has, you know, but, if, or, all of those actually describe a kind of necessary relationship. If this, then that. That's a causal relationship. It actually tells us something about the two halves of the sentence we're creating. The beautiful thing about and is you can stick any two things together with it.

So a little bit in distinction from every other conjunction that the English language has, you know, but, if, or, all of those actually describe a kind of necessary relationship. If this, then that. That's a causal relationship. It actually tells us something about the two halves of the sentence we're creating. The beautiful thing about and is you can stick any two things together with it.

They can have absolutely no relationship to each other. I give you apples and oranges, right? Or they can have every relationship to each other, Romeo and Juliet. or none on earth, you know, crab apples and tuxedos.

They can have absolutely no relationship to each other. I give you apples and oranges, right? Or they can have every relationship to each other, Romeo and Juliet. or none on earth, you know, crab apples and tuxedos.

And this morning, what we're dealing with is like, we have 30 minutes to get dressed and get to the library to do a podcast with Ezra Klein and our nephew who's at our house, who's two and a half, just vomited in the crib, which means there's nowhere for him to sleep. And also, whoops, I'm ignoring a note from my editor and I need to go to the grocery store. I mean, this is life, right?

And this morning, what we're dealing with is like, we have 30 minutes to get dressed and get to the library to do a podcast with Ezra Klein and our nephew who's at our house, who's two and a half, just vomited in the crib, which means there's nowhere for him to sleep. And also, whoops, I'm ignoring a note from my editor and I need to go to the grocery store. I mean, this is life, right?

And that's before we get to like... Oh, man. And like you open the New York Times and Joe Biden has cancer and people are being deported. I mean, the number of linked thoughts, experiences, demands in our days is infinite. So part of this feeling of and is the sense that everything is connected to everything else. Which I want to say can be a really beautiful thing.

And that's before we get to like... Oh, man. And like you open the New York Times and Joe Biden has cancer and people are being deported. I mean, the number of linked thoughts, experiences, demands in our days is infinite. So part of this feeling of and is the sense that everything is connected to everything else. Which I want to say can be a really beautiful thing.

I mean, the sense that everything is connected to everything else is also the sense that we can make a difference, right? Like if indeed we are all connected, then our actions matter. They matter to each other. They matter to people far away. They matter to people we will never meet because they're not even born yet. So it's overwhelming, but I think also kind of hopeful, kind of exciting.

I mean, the sense that everything is connected to everything else is also the sense that we can make a difference, right? Like if indeed we are all connected, then our actions matter. They matter to each other. They matter to people far away. They matter to people we will never meet because they're not even born yet. So it's overwhelming, but I think also kind of hopeful, kind of exciting.

But there's this other feeling that and has, which is the feeling that something is about to happen, right? Like, if you're telling me a story and you stop talking, what I'm going to say to you is and, meaning like, what happens next, right? Like, it's almost a feeling of suspense. And is this kind of little word that propels us into the future.

But there's this other feeling that and has, which is the feeling that something is about to happen, right? Like, if you're telling me a story and you stop talking, what I'm going to say to you is and, meaning like, what happens next, right? Like, it's almost a feeling of suspense. And is this kind of little word that propels us into the future.