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Themes are the seven broad umbrellas under which we organize the hundreds of big ideas that populate Big Think. They include New World Order, Earth and Beyond, 21st Century Living, Going Mental, Extreme Biology, Power and Influence, and Inventing the Future.
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No one cares about apathy anymore.
A Failed Voting System in the Primaries Selects Less-Popular Candidates Mitt Romney won the Republican nomination after building momentum in the primaries in New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, and Ohio -- states where he won most or all of the delegates even though his ...
Bipolar Politics Do you enjoy being forced to choose between one of two candidates? Now, you may say, "There are other candidates on the ballot." But you are unlikely to vote for any of them. Why? Because you don't want to throw your vote away. Why do you feel like you’re throwing your vote ...
I’m so frustrated. What’s wrong? I know I should vote in November, but I’m totally over Obama, and Romney is kind of a tool. I don’t know what to do. So, vote for someone else. But that would be like throwing my vote away. Isn’t there anyone else you would support for President? ...
Never before in our nation’s history have we faced such a monumental decision. The stakes are enormous: the next President will not only be dealing with a possible recession but will also be the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military! He will have to make major decisions about the economy ...
Anxiety Creates Extra Tasks - And Problems Have you ever had one of those ‘super-productive’ days where you burn through all of your tasks and then feel... strangely hollow? This feeling arises because, as much as we hate to admit it, many of us define ourselves by our task list. When we don ...
by Clay Shentrup The Problem My fellow voter: have you ever been afraid to vote for your favorite candidate? If so, you’re not alone. It happens to the best of us. Take my friend Bob. Back in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, he favored Bill Richardson, followed by Barack Obama. By ...
Today is a nationwide General Strike. Take a day off from your normal life and find an event in your city. See you in the streets and have a great day!
Last week I asked readers to answer this single question: “What is democracy?” I asked this question -- without consulting a dictionary or political science textbook -- because I am not sure of the answer myself, even though I have heard the word uttered thousands of times in my life. Has the ...
For this week’s post I would like to ask a single question: What is democracy? Please share your answers in the comments. I will feature what I think are the most interesting responses in next week’s post. I look forward to your thoughts! -- Image of The Parthenon courtesy of ...
I have spiritual goals and I have socio-political goals. My spiritual goals, which I won’t go into too much detail about, are probably similar to many other people's: increase my compassion, love, and wisdom so that I can decrease my own suffering and better help others. My socio-political ...
by Daphne Muller At the center of the debate surrounding the legality of George Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin is the question of whether or not Zimmerman uttered a racial slur as he pursued the 17-year old boy on foot. According to ABC News, it “sounds like [Zimmerman said] ‘fucking ...
As spring arrives and the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City returns to public visibility many people will be asking the self-proclaimed ‘occupiers’ what their point is. U.S. media reports suggest that America’s economic situation is turning around. Mitt Romney recently said in a speech ...
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11, U.S. Constitution: "The Congress shall have Power To declare War” Rep. Ron Paul in the U.S. House of Representatives, October 3, 2002: “The process by which we've entered wars over the past 57 years, and the inconclusive results of each war since ...
There’s this weird kid called Ali on the playground. I’ve never liked the looks of him, and Benji told me this kid doesn’t have any friends. I think he has a different religion from the other weird kids, who sometimes cluster around him on the playground and call him names and don’t seem to like ...
Have you ever attended a public talk where the moderator or speaker invited audience members to ask questions afterwards? If you have, I bet you heard someone ask a question like this: “Mr. Senator, I am a longstanding member of the National Association of People Who Advocate For or Against a ...