Words of Wisdom — December 10, 2013

Matthew Arnold on Common Sense

“The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next.” – Matthew Arnold (born on this date in 1822)

bigthinkeditor

“The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next.” – Matthew Arnold (born on this date in 1822)

A person holding a burger with fries and ketchup on a wooden table.

The Present

Could meat taxes help to curb over-consumption of beef?

Beef production is largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions from the food system.

A spoonful of non-sugar sweeteners on a dual red and orange background, with sweetener grains scattered around the spoon.

Health

Don’t buy the lazy nutrition science on artificial sweeteners

Poor research can be worse than no research at all.

Collage featuring a thoughtful person contemplating dating philosophy, two embracing cats in monochrome, and a close-up of an orange cat's face, with graphic elements like a question mark and abstract lines.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Is it OK to date someone your friend likes?”

A battle between different kinds of love.

Portrait of Voltaire, featuring a detailed depiction of the philosopher in a red coat, with gray curly hair and a gentle smile, symbolizing his wisdom in making better decisions, painted by Nicolas de L

Business

How to avoid the “Panglossian trap” and make better decisions

Voltaire’s wonderful satire, Candide, remains a useful work-life antidote to bogus platitudes and naive optimism.

A classical stone bust of a man with a broken top, isolated against a black background.

The masculinity crisis, explained

“Masculinity” has become synonymous with “toxic.” Journalist Christine Emba explains how that happened, and how it can change.

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11 min

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with

Christine Emba

Up Next

Words of Wisdom

Bob Kahn on Innovation

“New capabilities emerge just by virtue of having smart people with access to state-of-the-art technology.” – Internet pioneer Robert Kahn (born on this date in 1938)