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When it comes to compliments “we often hear what we want to hear,” writes Elizabeth Bernstein. If we are feeling secure it’s easy to register the praise, but not in times of self-doubt.
Today marks the first installment of Big Think’s newest series, “Moments of Genius,” sponsored by Intel. We sat down with math and science thought leaders—from the inventor of the very […]
“The secret of excellent proofreading is caring intensely about getting things right and loathing error with an intensity that perhaps only fascism or an alimony-collecting ex-wife deserves,” writes Joseph Epstein.
“Europe used to be, within the living memory of many of us, the cockpit of world power, prosperity and prestige. Today it is raw material for an ouija board,” writes Walter Lacquer.
While acknowledging the progress over the past 50 years that was enabled by birth control pills, Geraldine Sealey thinks we now need new methods beyond hormonal contraception.
Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton writes that “It is hard to conclude anything except that the Obama administration is resigned to Iran possessing nuclear weapons.”
New studies indicate that combining exercise activities (like walking or biking) with nature—even for just five minutes—can boost mental health and well-being.
“The proper function of spies is to remind those who rely on spies that the kinds of thing found out by spies can’t be trusted,” notes Malcolm Gladwell.
Recent research suggests that people all over the world might be modeling themselves after characters on soap operas—and that their lives are improved as a result.
Group theory “bridges the arts and sciences,” writes Steven Strogatz. “It addresses something the two cultures share—an abiding fascination with symmetry.”
How designers are revolutionizing corrective eyewear with low-cost, durable, beautifully designed glasses for the developing world, where lack of access to vision healthcare presents an obstacle to anything from basic safety to education
Morality is an indirect consequence of evolution that balances the needs of individual survival and satisfaction with those of society, writes a contributor at Psychology Today.
Our age’s outright attack on God may just be a reactionary response from an “ideology of reason” that imitates the dogmatic methods it is critical of, says The Spectator.
The supposed infallibility of DNA test results, due to individuals’ unique gene sequences, creates a cult of unaccountability that can lead to false convictions.
Fred Donner, a historian at the U of Chicago, has published a history of Islam that demonstrates the faith’s original openness to outside members.
If you live in a city, it’s probably loud; the effects of noise pollution fall disproportionately on the poor and damage our psychology as well as our physiology.