Words of Wisdom — August 14, 2014

George Orwell on Political Thinking

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“So far as I can see, all political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.” -George Orwell

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

An abstract illustration features a bell curve with red dots and a percentage labeled 49%. The background includes a monochrome portion of a face with wide-open eyes peeking below the curve.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Bad at probability? That might be a blessing.

How black and white is your thinking?

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Business

10 lessons I learned in 2024

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

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The Past

How humanity discovered we’re all made of “star stuff”

Carl Sagan was far from the first to declare we are the children of ancient stars.

A metal ladder of misinference stretches into a round sky view, its rungs disappearing among the clouds against a dark backdrop.

The Learning Curve

How to disrupt misinformation with the “ladder of misinference”

Alex Edmans, professor of finance at the London Business School, warns us to be mindful of the incentives surrounding misinformation — including our desire to believe it.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Firing People is Never Pleasant. Here’s How to at Least Do it Properly.

An important part of being an effective manager is gauging when you need to make a major personnel change. Terminating an employee requires the right balance of firmness and compassion.