philosophy
“We are racing towards a new era in which we outsource cognitive abilities that are central to our identity as thinking beings,” writes computer scientist Louis Rosenberg.
The child has no control at all and the adult tries to control too much. But there is a third way.
“The stars made our minds, and now our minds look back.”
As US science faces record cuts to funding, jobs, and facilities, these 10 quotes help remind us how science brings value to us all.
How we handle grief largely depends on our worldview. Here is how three famous philosophers handled the certainty of grief and despair.
From bondage to freedom: Baruch Spinoza’s guide to the rational life.
An atheist’s case for why American democracy needs a more Christlike Christianity.
Rutger Bregman’s “Moral Ambition” wants us to aim our careers not at money but solving the world’s biggest problems.
What’s the point in fighting a made up monster?
The strange, undulating sound of mathematics.
A paradigm should be elastic enough to accommodate new data and broad enough to explain the world. For Rupert Sheldrake, ours does neither.
The “Doctor Strange” director says mystery shifts your worldview — “not in a metaphorical sense, but in a deeply experiential one.”
If you feel like you’re missing out on something bigger, you might be feeling saṃvega.
In the tears and laughter of a single life, you find the grief and joy of humanity.
“Nobody expects a computer simulation of a hurricane to generate real wind and real rain,” writes neuroscientist Anil Seth.
According to Tolkien, fantasy requires a deep imagination known as “sub-creation.” And the genre reflects a fundamental truth of being human.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
The award-winning nature writer, Robert Macfarlane, talks with Big Think about how to reacquaint ourselves with the rivers in our lives.
Are we enslaved by the finer things in life?
A.J. Jacobs looks back at what he learned about religion, himself, and modern American culture during “The Year of Living Biblically.”
Barthes is dead — long live the artist.
“For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD.”
Arendt thought 20th-century philosophy had become too passive and abstract. She called for “active thinking” that prepares us to live in the real world.
You don’t need to be a scientist or a philosopher for facts, reality, and the truth to matter. The alternative is simply known as bullshit.
Follow the money and you’ll follow history.
Barry Ritholtz — market commentator, founder of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and podcast host — shares what really trips investors up.
Perhaps no existential question looms larger than that of our ultimate cosmic origins. At long last, science has provided the answers.
Do our thoughts have any meaning whatsoever?
Pessimissts are never disappointed, but are they also kinder?