December 10, 2012

Big Ideas for December 10th

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Quote of the day:

“We have art in order not to die of the truth.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Today’s Big Ideas:

The National Intelligence Council’s New Report, by Ali Wyne

The World WON’T End. And Neither Will Superstitions, by David Ropeik

Lessons from TED on the dangers of pseudoscience, by Neurobonkers

Would You Save This Man’s Life? The Bystander Effect Revisited, by Daniel Honan

The Moral Importance of Fiction and Literature, by Tauriq Moosa

What not to read today:

Kim Kardashian’s Cat Dies

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A vintage brass typewriter with exposed keys and mechanisms, evoking a sense of typing consciousness, displayed on a reflective surface.

The Past

How typing transformed Nietzsche’s consciousness

The Malling-Hansen writing ball, with its potential and limitations, redefined Nietzsche’s philosophical and creative expression.

A digital countdown reading "0: MINUS" over an Earth view from space with scattered debris and sunlight illuminating the scene.

The Future

T-Minus: Kessler Syndrome

Experts answer 10 big questions about the nightmare scenario that could send us back to the pre-Space Age.

Multiple country flags on poles against a clear blue sky, representing international diversity and unity.

The Present

From global to planetary: Is new governance needed in a post-Holocene world?

The nation-state had a good run, but its usefulness may have come to an end.

Portrait of a smiling man in front of a background featuring chemical structures and molecular models in green and blue hues.

The Present

Inside the battle for FDA approval of MDMA therapy

MAPS founder Rick Doblin speaks to Big Think about the FDA’s rejection of MDMA therapy and the future of psychedelic treatments.

Fifteen colorful emoji faces on a textured background, each capturing different moods like joy, anger, sadness, and surprise.

Business

Heidegger’s “mood theory” explains why you do anything at all

You’re a moody person. You have to be — because understanding moods philosophically can be crucial to your work-life.

Up Next

Politics & Current Affairs

Massive French Open-Air Protest Site Holds Fast

On Tuesday a judge will decide whether to authorize yet another round of evictions from a forest north of Nantes that is home to a growing number of international squatters protesting plans for a proposed airport.