Yet another prodding reminder that I need to give Peter Watts's "Blindsight" a read. It is a glaring omission in my personal sci-fi catalog. shorturl.at/jhp1y

We're looking for talented freelance writers to pitch and contribute feature articles to the Big Think publication. If you're passionate about exploring big ideas in science, philosophy, history, business, and more we want to hear from you. Reach out with your ideas here:

My latest, for Big Think on aliens. 👾 For centuries, scientists assumed the universe was not full, but brimful, of life. Many claimed SUNS were inhabited, whilst others conducted cosmic censuses: guessing total population numbers for the universe... in the "quadrillions"! 🔗👇

It's always a pleasure reading A.J. Jacobs (AJ Jacobs). His look back on "The Year of Living Biblically" with Tim Brinkhof (Tim) is full of caring, thoughtful insights that are as relevant today as when he wrote the book.

Does parenting lead to happiness or suffering? Jonny Thomson

"Rather than urging people to discover their passion, we should inspire them to develop a passion." A subtle difference, but telling people to follow their passion vs. develop it can really change how we approach so much in our lives. An enlightening read by Zorana Pringle.

Thanks to everyone who spoke with me about their experiences developing indie video games. Indie devs have become a bastion for creative people who are willing to take the risks necessary to innovate and express ideas that can't be reduced to graphical fidelity.

If you're at all interested in the history of language, I highly recommend checking out Laura Spinney's "Proto." It's erudite, well-written, and, above all, fun. We ran an excerpt of the book on Big Think this month so you can see what I mean.

Failure should be avoided when it is risky and the costs are high. But when we avoid all failure, we also avoid discovery and accomplishment. Here's 4 ways to fail intelligently: 🧵 Kevin Dickinson Amy Edmondson 1. Have a lot of ideas

Kevin Dickinson Timothy Beal Tanya Luhrmann Marcus J Borg Bart Ehrman Elaine Pagels For a deep dive into unpacking the Bible from Gnosticism to Gospel Manga read the full list of recommendations from Big Think writers and experts: bigthink.com/big-think-book…

Who was Jesus? Many will picture a man with long, flowing hair and improbably blue eyes garbed in white robes. But, in history textbooks he rarely gets more than a one-sentence biography. Elaine Pagels Here's why we know so little: bigthink.com/big-think-book…

An analysis of ~100,000 academics finds that a small subset of academics generate majority of tweets. That vocal minority can skew how the public—and even journalists—infer “academic consensus,” potentially fueling false perceptions.

‘Everything is Tuberculosis’ author John Green on writing, anxiety, and illness @JohnGreen John Green opens up about his struggle to remain hopeful while writing about suffering and injustice. Read more: bigthink.com/books/john-gre…

My latest article on Big Think Books! I enjoyed a brilliant conversation with author Nick Harkaway. We discussed the lesser-known sides of his father, John le Carre, alongside the craft of writing and the challenges and joys of finding your voice.

Murder, she measured: The impressive science behind Agatha Christie’s poisons Kathryn Harkup, chemist and author of V Is for Venom, discusses why Christie isn’t just a brilliant writer but a unique science communicator. Kevin Dickinson Read more: bigthink.com/big-think-book…

Current AI “alignment” is just a mask Our findings in The Wall Street Journal explore the limitations of today’s alignment techniques and what’s needed to get AI right 🧵

Sam's (Sam Kean) self-experiments in tanning hides, making ancient Egyptian bread, and playing Aztec sports got me thinking about how the great man theory of history really disconnects us from so much of what the past can offer. A dynamic and engaging book. Well worth a read!

The real key to happiness (based on 85 years of research) | Full Interview with Robert Waldinger 00:00:00 Part 1: Happiness. How did you get into psychiatry? 00:01:05 What is your research about? 00:05:35 How much control do we have over our happiness? 00:06:34 How do

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For more on these classics and their authors, read the full article from Kevin Dickinson: bigthink.com/books/7-classi…