Words of Wisdom — July 29, 2014

Carl Sagan on Science

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” – Carl Sagan

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”

– Carl Sagan

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An AI-generated illustration of a man sitting at a desk, accompanied by thought-provoking poetry.

Thinking

Can AI write authentic poetry?

Cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve poetic authenticity.

An old photograph of a man sitting under an apple tree.

Business

How Isaac Newton and the “salience network” can unleash your creativity

Neuroscience supports the notion that an escape from conventional perspectives can be a gateway to spectacular insights.

A black and white photo of albert einstein laughing.

Starts With A Bang

Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life

The most celebrated genius in human history didn’t just revolutionize physics, but taught many valuable lessons about living a better life.

Aphantasia limits the ability to visualize a statue of a man in the mind's eye.

Neuropsych

My brain doesn’t picture things. What’s wrong with me?

I also can’t conjure sounds, smells, or any other kind of sensory stimulation inside my head. This is called “aphantasia.”

An image of a colorful object resembling a dark primordial galaxy in the sky.

Starts With A Bang

The first dark, primordial galaxy has gas, but no stars

Finding it at all was a happy accident. Examining it further may help unlock the secrets hiding within the earliest galaxies of all.

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Culture & Religion

Big Brother is Watching You

This looks like a still from Federico Fellini‘s classic film Amarcord, inspired by the filmmaker’s childhood in fascist Italy. According to Historical Pics, it’s Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party headquarters in […]