Words of Wisdom — December 16, 2013

The Pleasure of the Novel

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ― Jane Austen

bigthinkeditor

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen

a black and white photo of two men laying on a dock.

Neuropsych

The 5-step “military method” for falling asleep in minutes

You’ll be able to sleep through a war.

a painting of a man standing next to a tree.

The Well

Eastern philosophy says there is no “self.” Science agrees

“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself — and there isn’t one.”

a drawing of a man standing next to a painting of a woman.

The Future

To fear AI is to fear Newton and Einstein. There are no “dragons” here.

Who’s afraid of utopia? AI doubters have cold feet. History can warm them.

a painting of a woman laying on a couch.

The Learning Curve

Why the pursuit of happiness leads to misery — and what to do about it

Impossible standards and poor self-understanding are making us miserable.

a close up of the sun with a black background.

Hard Science

The Carrington event of 1859 disrupted telegraph lines. A “Miyake event” would be far worse

We don’t know what causes Miyake events, but these great surges of energy can help us understand the past — while posing a threat to our future.

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