Words of Wisdom — May 2, 2014

Socrates on Wisdom

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates

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.

Composition of the dark energy prominence universe showing percentages of dark energy, dark matter, and visible matter.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when dark energy rose to prominence?

Early on, only matter and radiation were important for the expanding Universe. After a few billion years, dark energy changed everything.

A giant, colorful ring of glowing lines suspended in space

Starts With A Bang

Giant ring? Giant arc? These “structures” may not even be real

Astronomers claim to have found structures so large, they shouldn’t exist. With such biased, incomplete observations, perhaps they don’t.

A man with dreadlocks standing in front of a bush.

Perception Box

Shaka Senghor explains how he found inner peace after life in prison

“I was incarcerated well before I was in prison and I was free before the gates of prison opened up and let me out.”

▸

6 min

—

with

Shaka Senghor

A model of the Colossus depicting the grandeur of ancient Rome.

The Past

This virtual 3D model lets you wander the streets of ancient Rome

Archaeologist Bernard Frischer spent decades uploading the ruins of the Eternal City to the cloud. Here’s what it looks like.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Teens: Energy Drink a Day May Not Give You Wings

Within one to two hours after consuming a Red Bull, or other energy drinks like it, that statement certainly seems to ring true. Studies have shown that alertness and cognitive functioning receive a temporary jolt. But what about habitual use of energy drinks? Well, that’s less studied, especially among adolescents.