This article was previously published on AlterNet. For the vast majority of human history, the only form of government was the few ruling over the many. As human societies became […]
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In his interesting review of Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind last month, the philosopher John Gray makes an important point about evolution-based attempts to account for human morality. To explain […]
Richard Marshall of 3:AM interviews the philosopher Eddie Nahmias about his work on free will. Everyone who would prefer not to be trapped in a thicket of confusion about free […]
The rights of prison inmates are meticulously defined by law while nursing home standards vary widely. Not to mention prison is free and healthcare is provided at a relatively high level.
Big Think’s own founder and president Peter Hopkins gave Rahim Kanani at Forbes some face time in preparation for the 2012 Social Innovation Summit taking place next week at the United Nations Headquarters in […]
By mourning celebrity deaths online, we seek to display our specialness by association, say psychologists. The act also performs the important social function of building solidarity.
In the 17th century, the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes famously argued that, “the mind or soul of man is entirely different from the body.” With this move, Descartes […]
Without feeling like the victim of my own lust, I experienced freedom for the first time in my life.
Katie Hinde is the Director of the Comparative Lactation Laboratory at Harvard University. Her research examines mother’s milk and how it contributes to infant development in humans and primates–including behavior, cognition and the brain. Here, she discusses the effects of breast milk on behavior, what she thinks human mothers should know and the recent (and controversial) Time magazine breastfeeding cover.
A strong turnout at the New York Mets’ baseball stadium gave the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community an opportunity to address ‘serious family-related problems’ caused by the Internet.
Proper distribution of cigarette taxes and money from the checks written by the tobacco industries to tobacco control programs could help reduce personal healthcare expenses
The title of Donald Rumsfeld’s memoir, Known and Unknown, comes from a statement he made during one of his famous “must-see” press conferences otherwise known as “spanking sessions for defense nerds” […]
Sometimes it’s better to do something – anything – rather than nothing at all. That’s the lesson of the old parable of Buridan’s ass, where the poor animal is faced with two haystacks and, unable to decide which is bigger, dies of hunger. . .
The way white matter or brain nerve fibers are connected around the brain affects the longevity of human intelligence in old age. Researchers believe they can now focus on treatments to savor the sharp mind.
A unique history is what distinguishes one family from another, and knowing a family’s distinct set of stories is what binds the group together. While social media connects the larger society, genealogical work is what connects us to our own small group.
Researchers believe the use of aspirin is better for the management of blood clots over a long period of time than traditional anti-clotting drugs prescribed.
We don’t know what the future will bring in terms of enhancement. But to be fundamentally opposed to it is to fundamentally opposed to the future of medical science.
With a new discovery in a gene vital to the success in male fertility, researchers are investigating the possibility of its function as a contraceptive.
If you were to guess the macroeconomic variable that had the widest impact on sexual behavior over the past fifty years, what would you choose? Personally, I would choose the […]
Instead of differentiating people on the basis of their “religion” (as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, etc.), what if we differentiated people according to their temporal orientation? We could divide people into […]
Last year, a small number of governments including the United States joined the Open Government Partnership to promote openness and improved engagement with their citizens. 42 new countries joined the partnership at a recent conference in Brazil attended by Hillary Clinton.
Since the industrial revolution, humanity has flocked to the cities, where jobs are plentiful and centralized services make inhabitants’ lives easier. However, technology is gradually beginning to reverse this trend. […]
Alternative banks are increasingly popular in the US, though Europe still leads the way. Community credit unions are helping to enrich community businesses while making profit.
Given the ubiquity of the achievement lobby, underachievement is actually no easy thing to grasp. But has it ever occurred to you to try for something less than your best in order to be happy?
South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, was recently portrayed with his penis hanging out, by the very talented satirical artist Brett Murray. The piece, entitled The Spear, features President Zuma standing […]
On Tuesday, May 22, I delivered a lecture as part of the National Academies’ Sackler Colloquium on the “Science of Science Communication,” reviewing the role of the media in science […]
During my last trip to San Francisco, I reported on my discovery of a woman who receives messages from God in his actual handwriting. I’m amused to report that I’ve […]
In this week’s edition of the New Scientist magazine, I have a commentary article on the UK controversy over genetically modified wheat and the lobbying efforts in the U.S. to […]
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” asks the gospel of Mark. Verily, I know not. But in […]
What’s the Big Idea? All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” – Albert Einstein In the latest RSA Animate production, Manuel Lima explores the power of […]