Words of Wisdom — December 10, 2013

Rebecca West on Feminism

“People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.” – Rebecca West (born on this date in 1892)

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.” – Rebecca West (born on this date in 1892)

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Starts With A Bang

Throwback Thursday: Stop Sexism in Science

Whether or not you believe there’s a problem, we’re all part of the solution. “‎Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on […]

A statue of a thoughtful, seated philosopher on the right seems to be contemplating a calling, while a standing figure holding a lyre on the left adds harmony against the textured background.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Can you have a “calling” without a caller?

If you’re an atheist with a vocation, who laid that path for you?

Close-up image of a human iris featuring vibrant blue and yellow hues with a dark pupil in the center.

The mystery at the heart of consciousness

“Is it possible that consciousness is a much more basic phenomenon in nature and is essentially pervading everything?”

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10 min

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with

Annaka Harris

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Does the CMB really “prove” the Big Bang?

Since the mid-1960s, the CMB has been identified with the Big Bang’s leftover glow. Could any alternative explanations still work?

A wasp illustration in blue on grid paper is overlaid on a close-up image of effervescent bubbles in a golden alcoholic liquid.

Health

The first known animal that’s “immune” to alcohol intoxication

Could studying the Oriental hornet lead to a treatment for people with alcohol use disorder?

Up Next

Putting Bill McDonough’s ‘Harvest of Value’ to Practice

William McDonough’s most profound concept is “Harvest of Value,” the basic notion that everything is a resource for something else. Simply put, waste equals food – the waste of one system becomes food for another.