recommended stories based on your interest CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Are The Ancient Truths Of Buddhism A Modern Invention? Key Takeaways: For many people, Buddhism appears to be uniquely compatible with modern lifestyles and world views. Buddhist mindfulness has influenced many schools of contemporary psychology. Buddhist philosophy embraces constant change and the inherent impermanence of all things. The 19th century Burmese monk Ledi Sayadawtravelled the nation teaching meditation and founding study groups. The forms […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY The World After Oil Key Takeaway: The production and consumption of fossil fuels is on the rise, and expected to peak within the next decade. To consider alternatives to oil, we need to be aware of the scale of its integration into our lives. Caleb Wellum, an assistant professor of U.S. history at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCIENCE SOCIOLOGY STARTUPS TECHNOLOGY The Future Of Meat: Why Its Important & Where We’re Headed The food industry, and in particular livestock, remains unsustainable in many categories across climate, supply, nutrition, and accessibility. This has become more evident during the pandemic as meat producers grappled with food and worker safety issues. In May, Tyson Foods was linked to almost 5,000 cases of coronavirus in its meat-processing plants across 15 states, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY The Secret Of Tumblr’s Enduring Appeal Key Takeaways: When tech billionaire Elon Musk made a deal to acquire Twitter in April 2022, many Twitter users threatened to shut down their accounts and migrate elsewhere online. This is partly due to the flexibility of the main user interfaces. In 2013, after Yahoo acquired Tumblr, there was concern that the platform would tighten […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY SCIENCE What The Laws Of Nature Tell Us About Free Will Among the greatest mysteries of the universe — dark matter and God, singularities and the beginning of time — there is the question of free will. It is an essential aspect of the human experience, this needing to have control over one’s own destiny and this feeling that all our decisions do matter. Free will […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY PSYCHOLOGY Do The Super Rich Take More Risks Than Normal People? Key Takeaway: The tragedy of the Titan submersible has raised questions about why people would pay money for risk-taking experiences. Research shows that people with a net wealth of at least €1 million are typically extroverts and tolerant of risk, making them more drawn to thrill-seeking and risk-taking activities. However, personality is not set in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIOLOGY How Anna Delvey & The Tinder Swindler Exploit A Core Feature Of Human Nature Key Takeaways: The subject of a new Netflix series, “Inventing Anna,” Sorokin, who told people her name was Anna Delvey, conned over $250,000 out of wealthy acquaintances and high-end Manhattan businesses between 2013 and 2017. What’s fascinating about these studies is that most participants are cynical about ever seeing their money again – let alone […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS SOCIOLOGY How Progress Made Us Weak Until the majority of humans fell to the transformative impacts of the Machine Age some hundred or so years ago, when power generation, electricity, the automobile, factories, and telecommunications all conspired to dramatically alter how we lived and interacted, a common set of governing principles underpinned life on Earth for more than ten thousand years. […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY TECHNOLOGY What It Means To Be Authentic In The Age Of A.I. Key Takeaway: Authenticity is important for both individuals and society, as it is a social glue that reinforces trust. People need to reexamine and recalibrate how authenticity is judged. Social science offers guidance on what makes something feel authentic. George Newman found three dimensions of authenticity: historical authenticity, categorical authenticity, and values and beliefs. Generative […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY Future Generations And Their Moral Significance Most people think we should have some concern for future generations, but this obvious sounding idea leads to a surprising conclusion. Since the future is big, there could be far more people in the future than in the present generation. This means that if you want to help people in general, your key concern shouldn’t be to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Are Rich People More Intelligent? Key Takeaway Intelligence contributes to economic and professional success, but not all highly intelligent people are driven by wealth. Intelligence consists of fluid and crystallised intelligence, which develop differently. Fluid intelligence is inherited and decreases with age, while crystallised intelligence increases throughout adulthood and declines after 65 years. Fluid intelligence builds up crystallised intelligence, which […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Can Twitter Really Bring Absolute Free Speech? Key Takeaways: Elon Musk is the planet’s number one billionaire. When free-market elephants like Musk or Jeff Bezos (who bought the Washington Post in 2013) take charge of major mass-media outlets, concerns are raised about the direction of free speech, which remains the essential ingredient of democratic participation. There can be no question that protest […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ART & DESIGN SOCIOLOGY Art And The Development Of Vibrant Communities There was never a golden age of the arts and humanities. Artists and scholars of the humanities seem to have always struggled for financial support, public prestige, political influence, and that ever-changing, seemingly intangible status . . . relevance. Except for the fortunate few who found generous patrons, artists have scrapped and struggled. Except in the halls […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Who Invented Music? Key Takeaways: The short answer is: No one knows who invented music. The earliest civilizations throughout Africa, Europe and Asia had music. But again, people were not singing complete melodies or songs; our modern lullabies – like “Rock-a-bye Baby” – took centuries to develop. In Greece, instruments like the krotola, a set of hollow blocks […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY POLITICS The Philosophy Of Karl Marx Explained Key Takeaway: Human history is shaped by social contexts, and Marx believed philosophy could help us realize our potential and overcome impediments to self-understanding and freedom. He argued that inequality is socially created, and that economic systems like feudalism and capitalism are our own creations. Marx argued that a rational social order could realize our […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Philosophy As A Way Of Life? Key Takeaways: French philosopher Pierre Hadot (1922-2010) began his intellectual career as a trainee priest and philologist. His best known work is his 1995 book Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault, based on a 1981 French collection. He argues that the way we mostly think about philosophy today, as […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Newer Posts 1 2 3 4 … 10 11 Older Posts
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Are The Ancient Truths Of Buddhism A Modern Invention? Key Takeaways: For many people, Buddhism appears to be uniquely compatible with modern lifestyles and world views. Buddhist mindfulness has influenced many schools of contemporary psychology. Buddhist philosophy embraces constant change and the inherent impermanence of all things. The 19th century Burmese monk Ledi Sayadawtravelled the nation teaching meditation and founding study groups. The forms […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY The World After Oil Key Takeaway: The production and consumption of fossil fuels is on the rise, and expected to peak within the next decade. To consider alternatives to oil, we need to be aware of the scale of its integration into our lives. Caleb Wellum, an assistant professor of U.S. history at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCIENCE SOCIOLOGY STARTUPS TECHNOLOGY The Future Of Meat: Why Its Important & Where We’re Headed The food industry, and in particular livestock, remains unsustainable in many categories across climate, supply, nutrition, and accessibility. This has become more evident during the pandemic as meat producers grappled with food and worker safety issues. In May, Tyson Foods was linked to almost 5,000 cases of coronavirus in its meat-processing plants across 15 states, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY The Secret Of Tumblr’s Enduring Appeal Key Takeaways: When tech billionaire Elon Musk made a deal to acquire Twitter in April 2022, many Twitter users threatened to shut down their accounts and migrate elsewhere online. This is partly due to the flexibility of the main user interfaces. In 2013, after Yahoo acquired Tumblr, there was concern that the platform would tighten […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY SCIENCE What The Laws Of Nature Tell Us About Free Will Among the greatest mysteries of the universe — dark matter and God, singularities and the beginning of time — there is the question of free will. It is an essential aspect of the human experience, this needing to have control over one’s own destiny and this feeling that all our decisions do matter. Free will […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY PSYCHOLOGY Do The Super Rich Take More Risks Than Normal People? Key Takeaway: The tragedy of the Titan submersible has raised questions about why people would pay money for risk-taking experiences. Research shows that people with a net wealth of at least €1 million are typically extroverts and tolerant of risk, making them more drawn to thrill-seeking and risk-taking activities. However, personality is not set in […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIOLOGY How Anna Delvey & The Tinder Swindler Exploit A Core Feature Of Human Nature Key Takeaways: The subject of a new Netflix series, “Inventing Anna,” Sorokin, who told people her name was Anna Delvey, conned over $250,000 out of wealthy acquaintances and high-end Manhattan businesses between 2013 and 2017. What’s fascinating about these studies is that most participants are cynical about ever seeing their money again – let alone […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS SOCIOLOGY How Progress Made Us Weak Until the majority of humans fell to the transformative impacts of the Machine Age some hundred or so years ago, when power generation, electricity, the automobile, factories, and telecommunications all conspired to dramatically alter how we lived and interacted, a common set of governing principles underpinned life on Earth for more than ten thousand years. […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY TECHNOLOGY What It Means To Be Authentic In The Age Of A.I. Key Takeaway: Authenticity is important for both individuals and society, as it is a social glue that reinforces trust. People need to reexamine and recalibrate how authenticity is judged. Social science offers guidance on what makes something feel authentic. George Newman found three dimensions of authenticity: historical authenticity, categorical authenticity, and values and beliefs. Generative […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY Future Generations And Their Moral Significance Most people think we should have some concern for future generations, but this obvious sounding idea leads to a surprising conclusion. Since the future is big, there could be far more people in the future than in the present generation. This means that if you want to help people in general, your key concern shouldn’t be to […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Are Rich People More Intelligent? Key Takeaway Intelligence contributes to economic and professional success, but not all highly intelligent people are driven by wealth. Intelligence consists of fluid and crystallised intelligence, which develop differently. Fluid intelligence is inherited and decreases with age, while crystallised intelligence increases throughout adulthood and declines after 65 years. Fluid intelligence builds up crystallised intelligence, which […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Can Twitter Really Bring Absolute Free Speech? Key Takeaways: Elon Musk is the planet’s number one billionaire. When free-market elephants like Musk or Jeff Bezos (who bought the Washington Post in 2013) take charge of major mass-media outlets, concerns are raised about the direction of free speech, which remains the essential ingredient of democratic participation. There can be no question that protest […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN SOCIOLOGY Art And The Development Of Vibrant Communities There was never a golden age of the arts and humanities. Artists and scholars of the humanities seem to have always struggled for financial support, public prestige, political influence, and that ever-changing, seemingly intangible status . . . relevance. Except for the fortunate few who found generous patrons, artists have scrapped and struggled. Except in the halls […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY Who Invented Music? Key Takeaways: The short answer is: No one knows who invented music. The earliest civilizations throughout Africa, Europe and Asia had music. But again, people were not singing complete melodies or songs; our modern lullabies – like “Rock-a-bye Baby” – took centuries to develop. In Greece, instruments like the krotola, a set of hollow blocks […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY POLITICS The Philosophy Of Karl Marx Explained Key Takeaway: Human history is shaped by social contexts, and Marx believed philosophy could help us realize our potential and overcome impediments to self-understanding and freedom. He argued that inequality is socially created, and that economic systems like feudalism and capitalism are our own creations. Marx argued that a rational social order could realize our […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PHILOSOPHY Philosophy As A Way Of Life? Key Takeaways: French philosopher Pierre Hadot (1922-2010) began his intellectual career as a trainee priest and philologist. His best known work is his 1995 book Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault, based on a 1981 French collection. He argues that the way we mostly think about philosophy today, as […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked