Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

Two problematic beliefs

Scott McLeod

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

That teaching can occur without learning

That learning academic content is more important than caring about academic content

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A drawing of a dragon on a pile of gold, symbolizing hope.

High Culture

“Eucatastrophe”: Tolkien on the secret to a good fairy tale

For J.R.R. Tolkien, the single most important element of a fairy tale was the dramatic reversal of misfortune in the story’s ending.

An e-reader displaying text is propped up against a stack of hardcover books.

The Present

How the Internet Archive’s “Free Digital Library” fell to the “fair use” test

The nonprofit made a bold gamble on the limits of “fair use” — and federal courts have not backed their play.

Close-up of a weathered wooden utility pole, marked with the number "2," standing resolute against cloudy skies—a testament to the enduring habits of nature and time.

Business

How the “two-day rule” can make your daily work-life much easier

This supremely simple hack can help you establish good habits, break bad ones, and guard against failure.

Diagram of atomic orbitals showing various shapes and labels, including s, p, d, and f orbitals, organized in a triangular structure with coordinate axes x, y, z.

Starts With A Bang

Why the number “1/137” appears everywhere in nature

One of the fundamental constants of nature, the fine-structure constant, determines so much about our Universe. Here’s why it matters.

Three sculptures depict philosophers with beards, featuring detailed facial expressions and robes.

Thinking

Confucius vs. Aristotle: What the two philosophers teach us about ethics

Two great philosophies — but do they work better together?

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