What’s the Big Idea? Before neuroscience and quantum physics, there was Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. The 19th century German idealist revolutionized Western thought, and every great thinker since has been working […]
All Articles
Today we’re pleased to announce our second Big Think Book of the Month, the dazzlingly ambitious Less Than Nothing: Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism, out May 22, 2012 from […]
The agreement in which Iraq will purchase surveillance drones from the U.S. is the latest in an effort to help keep oil terminals within the Iraqi territory in the Persian Gulf safe. In turn, it allows the United States to strengthen its ties to the country.
The reoccurring topic in the midst of the economic crisis effecting countries around the world is derivatives trading. It is a risk financial institutions take that has no benefit to customers, and can cause an outcome that will throw an economy into financial disorder.
Kevin Kelly’s “What Technology Wants” is one of the most important books I’ve read in the past decade. If you’re at all involved in technology innovation, it’s required reading. I […]
Women’s equality and health are the focus of Republican criticism. Republicans are determined to weaken the welfare of women.
The Chinese view social debates among Americans as unethical and immoral behavior. They believe issues such as gay marriage and abortion should remain out of the public eye.
I’ve read nothing more heartwarming recently than the excerpts from young Obama’s love letters in the new Vanity Fair. The glow they exude has nothing to do with romance and […]
There are just 30 people worldwide whose brain injuries have rewired their brains in ways that allow them to perform amazing feats. But now a machine replicates the process with some success.
New research has found a genetic link between exercise and brain performance, implying that physical activity could treat disorders like ADD and ADHD, especially during youth.
To soften the feeling of pain, distract your mind with another task. Researchers say that investing mental energy elsewhere keeps your nervous system from receiving pain signals.
Financial companies are putting a halt to the type of banking services provided to the clientele of America’s elite. The act is an effort to avoid the possible aid in further tax evasion.
Why are some people more willing to put in hard work now for a larger payoff in the future? Neuroscientists believe the effect of dopamine contributes to how we tolerate the tedium of work.
A new study has found parallels between bomb blast injuries sustained by soldiers and a degenerative brain disorder known to occur in athletes who box and play football.
Andy Warhol looked for fame any place he could find it, so news that a crater on the surface of the planet Mercury has been named in his honor comes […]
As I’ve written before, I’m a skeptical of claims, like Jonathan Gottschall’s, about the power of stories to make us better people. Adam Gopnik of The New Yorkeris skeptical too. […]
If you asked me how being a single parent has affected my economic prospects I would have to say for the worse…and for the best. You see, while parenting young […]
Researchers have a clearer picture on how a gene contributes to Alzheimer’s disease. It establishes a new objective in the fight against the disease.
Doctors lack the education to help cancer survivors plagued with treatment-related side effects. Cancer survivors are coping with long-term issues that they didn’t know existed.
I love this new song, “Satellite“, by the folk singer Anna Dagmar, from her upcoming album of the same name. It’s a (I assume) autobiographical account of growing up in […]
The ultrasensitive biosensor is the latest in the fight against cancer. The sensor catches cancer earlier than imaging and other monitor devices.
It is gratifying when people see you just as you want to be seen. But don’t count on it. If you like to think of yourself as a gentle person […]
Facebook acquired mobile commerce startup, Karma. This acquisition didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved. As Chris Dixon wrote about Facebook’s Business Model: The key question when trying to value […]
Research reveals a relationship between intellectual and cultural hobbies and weight control. Activities such as reading and going to see an art exhibit can help to keep off excess pounds.
High-tech fashion can be the game changer in medicine by turning health-detector devices into wearable accessories. These devices could make health care more popular in people’s daily lives.
What is the Big Idea? While Congress dukes it out over the federal interest rates on student loans, venture capitalist Peter Thiel has a solution for college students who don’t […]
Psychology is rich in findings that emerge from complex statistics done on the behavior of college students behaving for money or course credit. It’s fair to wonder, then, how well […]
In some ways, the brilliant Thiel might be our instructive Cartesian today, because he has no democratic illusions about the Cartesian “I.”
Like many college students, I took a semester abroad. I spent the first half of my junior year in London taking classes at UCL, exploring the museums, and learning the […]
Due to rising tuition costs, even students attending state universities are taking on sizable debt. Until what point does digging a financial hole now allow you to scale a golden mountain later?