Guest Thinkers — September 29, 2010

Probing Political Ads

Steve Dahl makes the case for checking the veracity of political ads. "Don't count on the broadcasters...I have never seen them come down on the side of truth over money."

bigthinkeditor

“Campaign commercials are a windfall for radio and TV outlets. It’s entirely possible to watch the evening news without seeing any commercials other than negative ads about local politicians,” writes Steve Dahl. “It would be nice if there were some sort of handpicked blue ribbon panel to check the veracity of each ad. Who’s going to appoint that panel though? The politicians? They shield themselves with the First Amendment.” “Don’t count on the broadcasters to regulate political ads either. I have worked for broadcasters my entire life, and I have never seen them come down on the side of truth over money.”

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Neuropsych

25 years since Columbine: We’re closer to decoding mass-shooter psychology

Public mass shooters almost always have worldviews shaped by the "3 Rs": rage, resentment, and revenge.

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Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Is there anything wrong with trauma dumping?”

When does "oversharing" become an issue?

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Leadership

Adam Grant on how to identify and develop high-potential leaders

The ability to toggle between abstract and concrete thinking is a key differentiator of high-potential leaders.

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Business

Want true success? Be more philosophical about “good” and “bad” failure.

Bob Dylan gave us the paradoxical gem "there's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all." He had a point.

Starts With A Bang

The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrong

Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?

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