We know to be wary of demagoguery, but “plutogoguery” also has perils. Especially if it promotes elite psychological patterns that history warns against: 1. Demagogues are leaders (agogos = “lead”) […]
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If you read the blogs out there about frequent-flyer loyalty programs — the ones written by people who have successfully mastered round-the-world trips for a total of $10 or cashed […]
Kepler took a look at 150,000 stars, searching for habitable worlds. Based on what it found, how many should be in our galaxy? “I’m sure the universe is full of […]
The famous Harley-Davidson sound is described as “a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier” by company brass (probably, too, by diners who had been enjoying their outdoor seating).
Editor’s Note: This article was provided by our partner, RealClearScience. The original is here. It has been long thought that one of the characteristics that makes humans unique is our […]
We normally think of planets as being synonymous with gas giant or rocky worlds orbiting a parent star. They should all be so lucky. “You cannot be lonely if you […]
If you have an upcoming interview or presentation in front of your colleagues, the best advice is not to “keep calm and carry on,” despite popular wisdom.
Forget Pi day and Tau day. Make June 28th the best math holiday you’ve never considered! “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” –Beyoncé […]
The new nerdier news has arrived. But can its nerd tools, honed in the “olicausal sciences” (oli = few), handle the greater complexities of journalism? Steven Pinker says, “No sane […]
Maybe so, but everything depends on what your faith is grounded on. Begin by recalling the thought experiment English theologian William Paley proposed in 1802: while traipsing across a field, […]
Partially in response to recent research into adolescent sleep patterns, one English school has announced that sixth-form classes — attended by students aged 16-18 — will start at 1:30 PM and end at 7:00 PM.
I recently stumbled upon an excellent essay by Steven Poole in Aeon Magazine on teleology (the widely abandoned philosophical idea used to support arguments for intelligent design, that in nature, […]
Four years ago a paper by Dan Sperber published in the Review of Philosophy and Psychology coined the term: The Guru Effect – the tendency for people to “judge profound […]
How the Cosmic Microwave Background — the Big Bang’s leftover radiation glow — continues to shed light on the birth of our Universe. Image credit: ESA and the Planck Collaboration. The announcement of the […]
Edward Frenkel, who is one of the leading mathematical physicists in the world, makes math look sexy.
Are champions born or are they made? Science still cannot settle that debate. But one thing is clear: Certain brain injuries can produce super geniuses. This is not an invitation […]
Math is not the opposite of art and poetry. In fact, every formula is a formula of love.
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Is there a limit to how small a length can be? Image credit: Sabine Hossenfelder. Good ideas start with a question. Great ideas start with a question that comes back […]
“Should economists be advocates or engineers?” asks Noah Smith. Tradeoffs reveal how reliably they perform as either. Smith worries that his trade’s “engineering” aspects are being sacrificed for “political advocacy” […]
We will have a better and freer society when we have a greater understanding of math.
If we came to be just a few billion years earlier, we’d never know. Image credit: Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CFHT) & Giovanni Anselmi (Coelum Astronomia), Hawaiian Starlight. “After all the ‘Universe’ […]
The math and logic of teams sometimes (perhaps often) opposes maximizing self-benefit.
The human capacity for reason may be fragile and partial but it is not belied by studies in which large percentages of subjects answer a few tricky questions incorrectly.
This March 14th, stump your friends with these amazing facts about the world’s favorite transcendental number! “So here we have π squared, which an engineer would call ‘10.’” –Frank King […]
How should small-business owners deal with the Affordable Care Act? Well, I believe in doing the math – and I think that’s a wonderful initial step. Run the numbers. See […]
You know that the square root of -1 is “i”, an imaginary number. But did you know any of these? “There is not enough love and goodness in the world to […]
Good science allows only shakeable faiths. Its toughest test comes when new evidence meets old certainties. By that test some economics seems more art (or math masked religion) than science. […]
It’s March 14th! Happy 3.14159265359 Day! Are you celebrating by baking a “pi”? Mashable marked the day with a round-up of delicious pie recipes. Pi Day began 26 years ago […]
When luck is part of the equation, we have to change our approach. Striving to be the best is not always the best strategy, especially if our time is limited.
Galileo’s way of thinking was a much more revolutionary instrument for science than even the telescope.