Guest Thinkers — December 21, 2010

Open Thread- July 7th

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Bad timing with schedules today, as we are both, for various reasons, going to be away from computers, at least sporadically. With that in mind, we invite our readers to participate in an open thread here. Please use the comment section to send each other links, provide analysis, thoughts, conjectures, predictions- whatever you feel like. This is a big day, and the more eyes on it the better. Thanks.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Person sitting at a dimly lit table with a laptop, using a smartphone. Another person is visible in the background. There are buildings and lights visible through the window.

Neuropsych

Are you a workaholic? How to spot the signs

In a major shift, psychologists now view an out-of-control compulsion to work as an addiction with its own set of risk factors and consequences.

Close-up of a mechanical watch face with exposed gears and intricate details, highlighted by gold and dark tones. The minute and second hands are visible.

Thinking

The perpetual quest for a truth machine

Why human attempts to mechanize logic keep breaking down.

A storefront with signs for psychic telepathy readings and a phone number. Two white plastic chairs are placed in front. The storefront is pink with a black awning and a large hand sign advertising $10 readings.

Neuropsych

The psychology of the psychic

Thinking of a number between one and ten? Here’s how predictable human responses create the illusion of telepathy.

A person is lying down in the dark and looking at a smartphone held above their face.

The Present

Potato chips or heroin? The debate on social media and mental health

What are we supposed to do when experts look at the same data yet reach starkly different conclusions?

A collage featuring ancient Egyptian art, handprints, geometric sketches, and prehistoric tools, alongside the text "Human Agency" and the number "2" in the top right corner on an orange and white grid background.

The Past

How humanity transformed its fate

From surviving on wild plants and game to controlling our world with technology, humanity’s journey of progress is a story of expanding human agency.

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Guest Thinkers

Why sending Guantanamo’s Yemenis to Saudi Won’t Work

One of the major challenges frustrating efforts to close Guantanamo is what to do with the nearly 100 Yemenis still in detention.The US is reluctant to release them back to […]