In which Max revisits Goethe’s weird claim about America lacking basalt with some expert help

In which Max considers the history of the expression “Cambrian explosion” and asks whether it’s here to stay

In which Max asks why Goethe once said in a poem that America has no basalt (huh?)

In which Max considers the suggestion that archeology is distinctive in its frequent use of arguments from absence, and finds it wanting

In which Max hits the road to see the oldest intact surface rocks in the United States

In which Max has compiled all 25 “Problematica” essays for your long-reading enjoyment