Words of wisdom from the American author (and prolific tweeter): “Homo sapiens is the species that invents symbols in which to invest passion and authority, then forgets that symbols are inventions.”
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President Barack Obama, charismatic as he is, has stumbled in the past when taking to new media to engage American citizens. He’s much better at writing letters than answering questions on Reddit.
As part of Big Think’s partnership with 92Y’s Seven Days of Genius series, New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer asks Heather Berlin about the research that illuminates our understanding of genius.
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If you want a vivid barometer for the health status of worldwide marine ecosystems, look no further than the global seabird population. Unfortunately, new research estimates that the global seabird population has dropped 70 percent since the 1950s. That’s not good.
Why Banksy’s dystopian vision of the future might be the kind of shock we need to realize the problems humanity faces.
No. Not even if you violate the laws of physics in two fundamental ways. John Oliver: So, roughly speaking, what are the chances that the world is going to be […]
You are the architect of your brain, the data suggests.
A plant with twice the nutritional value of kale, reported to taste like bacon when cooked, could soon be entering the U.S. health food market, possibly expanding its reach even wider.
What were the first organisms to have sex? We may never know the answer, but as Bill Nye explains in this Big Think interview, scientists are very interested in why sexual activity remains so popular in nature beyond the obvious reproductive implications.
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In this Big Think+ preview, IBM’s VP of Marketing & Communications explains why companies shouldn’t fear their employees’ use of social media.
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The Middle Eastern pan-Arab military organization has found its way into the hearts and minds of Westerners searching for a cause.
But I use that term loosely.
Why is the pope’s visit to America a big deal? Aside from the sheer number of Catholics in the United States, Pope Francis inspires people the world over with the way he leads the Catholic Church.
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PwC’s global talent manager recently visited Big Think to discuss his company’s Aspire to Lead initiative as well as to encourage men to pledge their support for gender equality.
The trouble with productivity as a value is that it treats a morally ambiguous act as a moral good. What, specifically, do we want to be producing more of?
Thanks to Big Think’s favorite experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren will have a photographic record of how Tempe, Arizona, in 3015 ended up that way.
Today, anyone who is driven by a dream to solve a problem has the opportunity to change the world. This wasn’t the case in past eras.
VanDerWaals’ line of app-enabled, color-changing bags could represent the future of tech-driven fashion items.
PURPOSE: Set Goals, with John Amaechi In this lesson from Big Think+, NBA basketball player John Amaechi shares with you the plan he created as a child to help him […]
There is no sense whatsoever that we are on the same page here, working toward some roughly agreed upon vision of a better future.
There’s no reason why humanity can’t re-establish its moon presence while also keeping an eye on the red planet.
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Don’t know Ellsworth Kelly or his art? Now’s your chance — he’s dead.
Don’t even think about getting anything other than this one! “No one regards what is before his feet; we all gaze at the stars.” –Quintus Ennius If you are (or you […]
Science is the best tool we have for predicting the future. Here’s what the next year ought to bring. “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s […]
Don’t expect the president to be a prolific tweeter, nor for him to offer any glimpses into his personal psyche.
Singularity University’s Peter Diamandis discusses one way in which virtual reality — a burgeoning exponential technology — will disrupt unexpected sectors of culture and society.
A live blog event from Nobel Prizewinner Art McDonald. “It’s ironic: in order to observe the Sun, you need to go kilometers underground.” –Art McDonald In the 1960s, a huge […]
It’s getting bigger over time, but is there anything it’s displacing, or expanding into? “Mathematicians deal with possible worlds, with an infinite number of logically consistent systems. Observers explore the […]
Your Facebook feed is a virtual echo chamber. It serves the same purpose as Fox News or MSNBC.
Climate change doesn’t have the emotional characteristics that make it truly deep-in-your-heart scary. Leaders will have to act anyway.