Guest Thinkers — July 23, 2010

Making a Youth Pill

Once the process of aging is correctly identified, will pharmaceuticals be able to counteract it? Slate reviews two books that take on aging and the human endeavor for immorality.

bigthinkeditor

Once the process of aging is correctly identified, will pharmaceuticals be able to counteract it? Slate reviews two books that take on aging and the human endeavor for immorality. “Nature doesn’t care if some of the calcium then hardens our arteries, causing late-in-life heart attacks.

We care, however, and David Stipp in The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution joins Weiner in exploring the frontiers of the science that is tackling the possibilities of beating aging and cheating death. Weiner brings a lyrical, even meditative, approach to his portraits of the people who are at work tweaking the evolutionary process.”

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The Future

Philosopher Nick Bostrom’s predictions on life in an AI utopia

Big Think recently spoke with Nick Bostrom about how humans might find fulfillment in a post-scarcity world.

View of a cityscape through a large glass window framed by steel beams, showcasing high-rise buildings burdened with debt under an overcast sky.

The Present

How we all got into debt

Consumer debt shapes American lives so thoroughly that it seems eternal and immortal, but it’s actually relatively new to the financial world.

Three men looking at a smartphone and laughing, embodying everyday philosophy, with two faded figures and a sketch of a thinker with a question mark.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Should I disinvite my bigoted friend from group trips?”

You've got to know when to fight and when to laugh.

A black and white image of Isaiah Berlin.

Business

Do you try to avoid your boss? For Isaiah Berlin that’s a big problem

Leadership evasion might seem like a plan for workplace freedom but it isn't a good thing — it's a denial of opportunity.

Starts With A Bang

How the cosmic microwave background proves the Big Bang

In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Is Art Distinct from its Artist?

Ta-Nehisi Coates asks, "How does one deal with finding out that one of your most beloved artworks was created by a man or woman whose personal behavior is (or was) odious?"