Words of Wisdom — December 3, 2013

On the Unnecessary Belief in Supernatural Evil

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” – Joseph Conrad (born on this date in 1857)

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”

– Joseph Conrad (born on this date in 1857)

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

The Future

Why A.I. is a big fat lie

The Dr. Data Show is a new web series that breaks the mold for data science infotainment, captivating the planet with short webisodes that cover the very best of machine learning and predictive analytics.

Guest Thinkers

AU Students Debate the Internet’s Impact on Society, Part A

This fall in the sophomore-level course I teach on “Communication and Society,” we spent several weeks examining the many ways that individuals and groups are using the internet to alter […]

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?”

▸

10 min

—

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?

Up Next

Male and Female Brains are Wired Differently

A new study confirms what psychological tests have indicated for a long time, that men and women are each better at performing different types of mental tasks.