Guest Thinkers

Success may be more a matter of strategy than the traditional notion of strength. We can and do offload the burden of willpower to the environment to scaffold our success.

For Americans, the name Iran conjures certain key images—the Shah, the Revolution of 1979, the hostages, the Ayatollah Khomeini, and black chador-clad women. Worn as part of the Islamic code […]

It would be wonderful if the forces of light and democracy took hold in Tunis and Cairo. But don’t count on it.

While the U.S. favours Egyptian political reform in theory, in practice it props up an authoritarian system for pragmatic reasons of national self-interest.

After a series of protests against Tunisia’s repressive regime—sparked by high unemployment and rising food prices—forced its longtime leader Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country, President Obama declared […]

The US has a huge population of sex offenders to keep track of – a number greater than the entire population of Alaska.

Remember Scott Bursaw’s ingenious solar roadways prototype? Now, the small town of Krommenie in Northern Holland is planning to pilot a similar concept on cycling paths. Developed by Dutch innovation […]

The House Republican majority is trying to redefine “rape” in order to deny a large percentage of rape and incest victims access to Medicaid-funded abortions, Nick Baumann reports: “With this […]

This has been one busy week, both volcanically and personally, so I’m going to try not to write another three posts today. So, instead, let’s try to summarize all the […]

Forgery is the bane of the art world. But what does it mean when a forger practices his trade for art’s sake without accepting a cent in return?

BIG THINK has displayed a taste of the astute social commentary of Robert Putnam–the man who was so worried that so many Americans were bowling alone. The success of the megachurch, […]

At Grist this week, David Roberts features a deeply valuable interview with Sandra de Castro Buffington, head of the Hollywood, Health, and Society project at USC.   She discusses the project’s […]

Newt Gingrich’s latest op-ed, ostensibly penned along with co-writer Jeb Bush, reads as if it is vintage Gingrich speak, demanding in bold declarative sentences that the federal government give the […]

There is no single smoking gun as to what is behind the current snow storms. But, we have two theories. 

I wrote earlier this week about the media and its treatment of Yellowstone caldera. Well, I tried to be calm about a post/video I saw earlier today on CNN’s American […]

If the eruption at Kirishima wasn’t enough to keep us occupied, Bromo in the Tengger Caldera has ramped up its activity significantly. Last fall, the volcano had a few explosive […]

Having spent the last few days figuring out a way around the facebook and twitter blocks in Egypt, I’m back and ready to blog ….. about Yemen. There was another […]

I had a fun time last night speaking to the Licking County Rock and Mineral Club – lots of talk about volcanoes and we spent some time talking about our […]

If you say “it’s snowing hard out there,” are you annoyed if no one gets up to shovel the walkway?

Indian executives pride themselves on things that set their country apart from China: democracy, a reliable legal framework for investors and a widespread command of English.

What kind of value can living well have? The analogy between art and life has often been drawn and as often ridiculed. We should live our lives, the Romantics said, as a work of art.

This semester I am teaching an interdisciplinary course on “Science, the Environment, and the Media.”  The 25 combined undergraduate and graduate students in the course have split into project teams […]

Presidents generally cover a lot of ground in their State of the Union addresses. But they really can only sound one theme—or call on the country to do one thing—without […]

A cognitive scientist friend of mine made a good point the other day about Amy Chua’s assertion that “nothing is fun until you’re good at it.” It is, he said […]

During the Vietnam War, the US dropped an average one B-52 bomb load every 8 minutes, 24/7, for a total of 2 million tons of ordnance, making Laos the most […]

There was so much pre-speech talk about last night’s State of the Union address that President Obama’s quip “so I guess I don’t have to give it now” to Secretary […]

Some lessons in media literacy are more painful than others. Listen up, kids. Despite what you read in the papers, you cannot get high on bath salts or plant food. […]

So the headline is a bit extreme to get your attention.  But let me share with you my favorite conservative response to our president’s challenging and unevenly interesting speech last […]

Around the globe in Japan, Kirishima, a volcano on the southern island of Kyushu, has started erupting vigorously. I haven’t been able to find many reports, but the Tokyo VAAC […]

The Enlightenment left us with few resources for thinking about what the good life really is, and how we should live it, because the focus was on winning individuals their freedom.