Why the presumption of good faith can make our lives civil again

Taking time for thoughtful consideration has fallen out of fashion, writes Emily Chamlee-Wright. How can we restore good faith and good judgement to our increasingly polarized conversations?

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  • The clamor of the crowd during a heated discussion can make it hard to tell who is right and who is wrong. Adam Smith wrote that the loudness of blame can stupefy our good judgment.
  • Equally, when we're talking with just one other person, our previous assumptions and knee-jerk reactions can cloud our good judgment.
  • If you want to find clarity in moments like that, Emily Chamlee-Wright recommends practicing the presumption of good faith. That means that we should presume, unless we have good evidence to the contrary, that the other person's intent is not to deceive or to offend us, but to learn our point of view.
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Gamma-ray space telescope study may have spotted dark matter

New study of gamma rays and gravitational lensing points to the possible presence of dark matter.

FERMI SPACE TELESCOPE.

NASA
  • Analyzing data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, researchers find hints of dark matter.
  • The scientists looked to spot a correlation between gravitational lensing and gamma rays.
  • Future release of data can pinpoint whether the dark matter is really responsible for observed effects.
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4 relationship problems that can be linked back to early childhood

An inside look at common relationship problems that link to how we were raised.

Abandonment issues, fear of commitment and other relationship issues can be linked to early childhood.

Photo by OSTILL is Franck Camhi on Shutterstock
  • Fear of abandonment or other attachment issues can stem from childhood loss (the death of a parent) but can also stem from mistreatment or emotional neglect as a child.
  • Longitudinal studies have proven that a child's inability to maintain healthy relationships may be significantly impaired by having an insecure attachment to a primary caregiver during their early development.
  • While these are common relationship problems that may be rooted in childhood experiences, as adults, we can break the cycle.
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Working for Harvey Weinstein was a 'brutal experience'

In 1998, former New Yorker editor Tina Brown went into business with Harvey Weinstein. That was a colossal mistake.

‘It was a brutal experience to work for Harvey Weinstein' | Tina ...
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  • Tina Brown was never sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, however in 1998, she began a business partnership with Weinstein founding a new magazine following her success rebooting The New Yorker.
  • She describes the experience as a "colossal mistake" and Weinstein as a brutal bully who abused and humiliated his staff and left Brown shell-shocked. The venture was dropped, and Brown's regret is that she didn't pull the plug as soon as she learned what Weinstein was like behind closed doors.
  • Before you get into business with anyone, get to know who they are, advises Brown. Make phone calls to people who have worked with them in the past, and draw a line in the sand so you do not become roped into a bully's world.
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Jordan Peterson: Career vs. motherhood: Are women being lied to?

We as a society need to rethink the way we value careers over everything else.

Jordan Peterson: Career vs. motherhood: Are women being lied to? | Big ...
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  • Around age 19, women are generally focused on their careers. That changes around the age of 30 when they realize that a career is not the primary purpose of their lives.
  • There are a handful of things that are actually fundamental to life, and if one of them is missing it will get in the way of personal fulfillment.
  • For the women with ambitions to be mothers, teaching them that careers are more important does them a great disservice.

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Physicists probe why the Universe exists and has matter

A new study rocks prevailing theories on antimatter in the early Universe.

Big Bang and expansion in early Universe.

NASA
Surprising Science
  • Scientists from around the world teamed up to study the properties of neutrons.
  • They were able to achieve extremely precise measurements of electric compasses in neutrons.
  • The results challenge current theories of why antimatter and matter didn't destroy each other in the early Universe.
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