Words of Wisdom — July 25, 2014

Alain de Botton on Creativity

“My greatest joy comes from creativity: from feeling that I have been able to identify a certain aspect of human nature and crystallise a phenomenon in words.” – Alain de Botton

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“My greatest joy comes from creativity: from feeling that I have been able to identify a certain aspect of human nature and crystallise a phenomenon in words.” – Alain de Botton

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An image of a cluster of galaxies, meaning science.

Starts With A Bang

10 thoughtful insights about the great cosmic unknowns

An in-depth interview with astronomer Kelsey Johnson, whose new book, Into the Unknown, explores what remains unknown about the Universe.

Image with a split view: the left half shows a black-and-white image of Earth, the right half depicts a grayscale crowd scene. Text overlay: "More Humans Are Better," with the number "3" in the top right corner.

The Present

The overlooked virtues of a crowded world

In a world of rising cynicism, a celebration of our capacity to create, adapt, and thrive.

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.

A stopwatch appears normal on the left side while the right side is digitally warped, creating a distorted, wavy effect that makes you question, "Does time exist?

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Does time exist, or is it an illusion?

The passage of time is something we all experience, as it takes us from one moment to the next. But could it all just be an illusion?

Black and white sketch of a bald man with a long beard, wearing a suit and bow tie, looking to his left.

Starts With A Bang

The cosmic redemption of astronomer John Couch Adams

Adams was infamously scooped when Neptune was discovered in 1846. His failure wasn’t the end, but a prelude to a world-changing discovery.

Up Next

The Vast Power and Knowledge of the Crowd

Human beings have incredible pattern-recognition abilities, which drive us to make meaningful connections across a vast array of information. Through its free exchange of information and capacity to reach a […]