“The philosophy that became known as ‘Tolstoyism’ was essentially a form of Christian anarchism based on the doctrine of non-resistance.”
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“Now that twentysomethings cling on to adolescence and adults live in perpetual kidulthood, Susie Mesure finds sociologists need a new lexicology for adults.”
“The process of death can damage organs, rendering them useless for others. Ethicists now debate whether transplant surgery should begin before the heart stops.”
“New energy technologies blossom when oil gets expensive. We can raise the price of fossil fuels again without hurting consumers—if we implement a fee and rebate system.”
“In the future, the computational module of a brain coprocessor may be powerful enough to assist in high-level human cognition or complex decision making.”
From restarting the economy to dealing with climate change, society’s biggest questions turn on how they are defined by advocates and the news media and acted upon by the public […]
“Is this my new reality?” is the question by the CFO at the CNBC townhall program earlier this week that should have gotten all the attention. Because it is at […]
The bicycle has come a long way since the kernel of its invention in 1817. One of the most interesting innovations in cycling over the past few years has been […]
When the price of a high-quality wife—the type who will produce high-quality children—is high then polygyny becomes less affordable for high-income men. Monogamy emerges because of the increasing value of high-quality women in the marriage market.
Nearly fifty years into mankind’s space exploration, we have littered the heavens with our garbage. There is an incredible amount of debris that that is literally stuck in Earth’s gravitational […]
Is there a truly “revolutionary” element in the current surge of anger in American politics? What is the place of madness and irrationality in revolution? If we want to speak […]
“Stop economic growth in its tracks, start living locally, at a slower pace, and share more—that was the remarkable demand yesterday at the beginning of the Sustainable Planet Forum.”
“Women’s relatively rapid rise seems to have become unexpectedly entwined with patriotism—proof of this country’s belief in fairness, equality, upward mobility.”
“Congress wants to weaken the buck against China’s currency, and a broader devaluation could help the Federal Reserve stave off deflation pressures.”
Is human nature selfless? The conclusion of many biologists that life is a series of fierce competitions for resources is put in doubt by the seemingly selfless behavior of many species.
“The case for natural wines has always been philosophic and aesthetic.” Slate’s Mike Steinberger says the word ‘natural’ is meaningless in the wine industry.
“Intellectual property law should protect businesses, but too often can be used to stifle the spread of ideas.” The Mises Economic blog on copyright sensibility, or lack thereof.
The beat goes on: “Andvinyly, a UK-based outfit, has this offer: after you die, you can have some of your cremated ashes pressed into a vinyl record.”
“We think of terraforming as something we’ll do in the future to other planets, but we have thousands of years of experience changing the shape of our own planet in profound ways.”
“Efforts to make education more ‘relevant’ to black people can be both patronising and harmful. The western literary canon should be taught to everyone.”
“Various efforts are underway to find a cheap, efficient and scalable way to recycle the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide back into the hydrocarbons that fuel civilization.”
Yesterday I wrote that just about the only substantive thing the Republicans promise to do differently from Democrats in their recently released “Pledge to America” is to extend the Bush […]
Given that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall raise productivity indiscriminately, shouldn’t everyone be using them? Dr. Harold Koplewicz, one of the nation’s leading child psychiatrists, thinks ADHD—like the drugs that are used to treat it—is “highly misunderstood.”
When fine fragrance perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, a recent Big Think guest, saw our video interview with filmmaker John Waters—in which Waters divulged his affection for a deadly work of contemporary […]
More than 3 billion pizzas are sold in the US each year, with the majority coming from takeout and delivery. Unfortunately, most pizza boxes are made from standard cardboard. Add […]
The latest episode of Sci Fi Science, as usual, has generated e-mails from viewers that I would now like to address: Question One: You discuss evil aliens that might want […]
Big Think interviewed an array of luminaries in a variety of fields this week, including several world leaders and giants in the arts. Bolivian President Evo Morales, in New York […]
The official version for the delay in a key conference – likely to decide the future leadership of North Korea – of the ruling Workers Party, is that widespread and […]
Social philosopher William Powers and scientist Gary Small say distractions in the digital age come at the cost of sustained, deep attention.
Here at the end of busy week, we have some news that Eruptions readers have been following on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Piton de la Fournaise, the active […]