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Where books open worlds
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Books are more than stories on a page — they are mirrors, maps, challenges, and companions in understanding ourselves and the world we inhabit.

Big Think Books is a space devoted to the writers and ideas that shape culture, knowledge, and the way we think. Through thoughtful recommendations, deep dives, and engaging commentary, this column guides readers toward books that expand curiosity, provoke insight, and deepen understanding across fields like science, history, psychology, literature, and more. Whether you’re exploring the latest releases or rediscovering timeless classics, here you’ll find ideas worth your time and thought.

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Kevin Dickinson is a staff writer and columnist at Big Think, focusing on the intersection of education, psychology, business, and science. He holds a master’s in English and writing, and his work has appeared in Agenda, RealClearScience, and The Washington Post.

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A man with short gray hair and wearing a plaid shirt is seated at a wooden table in a dimly lit restaurant, smiling at the camera.
5 horrifying stories that double as lessons in philosophy
Each of these stories rests on a foundation of great ideas that will scare you to death and make you think.

by Scotty Hendricks

A sketch of a seated, nude figure resting their chin on one hand, surrounded by dark shading and a textured background, evokes an atmosphere of philosophy horror.
Everything Articles
The word "enough" stands boldly in black at the center, with incorrect spellings like "enugh," "enuph," "enuff," and "enuf" crossed out in red above and below, subtly highlighting the quirks of English spelling.
The Past
When enough is “enuf”: The strange and futile history of English spelling reform
In "Enough Is Enuf," Gabe Henry traces the history of simplified spelling movements and the lessons they teach us about language.
Kevin Dickinson
People in early 20th-century attire gather outside a building, as an intriguing green geometric pattern overlays the scene. This blend of classic and modern elements evokes the innovative spirit of AI art.
High Culture
The cinematograph, the “noematograph,” and the future of AI art
Hugo-winning author Ken Liu explores what early cinema and Chinese poetry can teach us about AI's potential as a new artistic medium.
Ken Liu
An illustration of a Martian Revolution showcases a colony with astronauts tending to plants in a greenhouse embedded in the surface, under a red sky with two suns.
The Future
Mike Duncan chronicles the history of the future Martian Revolution
The latest season of the "Revolutions" podcast blends history with science fiction to tell the story of the Red Planet's rise.
Tim Brinkhof
A retro computer displays a ghost on the screen as pixelated chains drift across the foreground, reminiscent of a scene from a Ken Liu short story. This digital haunt unfolds against a vivid orange background.
High Culture
“The gods will not be chained”: A short story by Ken Liu
The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit "Pantheon."
Ken Liu
Stylized illustration of a person holding a chess piece, with a digital glitch effect and horizontal lines creating a blue-toned, distorted appearance.
High Culture
“Pantheon” creator Craig Silverstein on uploading our brains to the internet
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
Tim Brinkhof
A close-up of an oiled muscular arm flexing on the left and a vibrant peacock feather with blue and green hues, symbolizing sexual selection, on the right, both set against a stark black background.
Life
Seduction of the hottest: How sexual selection shaped birds and human brains
Science writer Matt Ridley joins us to discuss how “Darwin’s strangest idea” makes us all a bit feather-brained (in a good way).
Ross Pomeroy
A satin bowerbird stands on the ground, artfully surrounded by blue objects like an artist's palette, with dried twigs in the background, a testament to nature's evolution.
The Past
The surprising evolutionary link between bowerbirds and human art
In his book, "Birds, Sex and Beauty," Matt Ridley explores why learning isn't always nature versus nurture.
Matt Ridley
From a vantage point reminiscent of Carl Zimmer's explorations, an aerial view captures a massive swirling cloud formation over Earth, resembling a hurricane or cyclone against the infinite darkness of space.
Life
Carl Zimmer explores the hidden world of the aerobiome
In his new book, the popular science writer tells the story of how scientists discovered the “gaseous ocean” we all swim in — and the trillions of invisible life forms we share it with.
Ross Pomeroy
Gloved hands hold an open book titled "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin, a seminal work exploring the origin of life, published in London by John Murray, 1859.
High Culture
5 books that changed our understanding of the origin of life
These books helped build the empirical case that life's origins differ from those described in myths and legends.
Scotty Hendricks
Silhouette of a human head with an outlined brain, set against a background of abstract swirling white lines on black.
Neuropsych
Anxiety always lies: Martha Beck on overcoming fear and finding purpose
When your life’s truth and the reality you live become out of sync, you risk falling into an "anxiety spiral."
Saga Briggs
A colorful butterfly with vivid patterns hangs near an empty cocoon on a twig against a soft, gradient background.
Neuropsych
The Big 5 personality traits you can change with practice
"Personality isn't based on what we say we'll do. It's rooted in what we actually do, which becomes what we think about."
Olga Khazan
Two faceless busts face each other. One, representing AI, has digital lines on its face, while the other exudes cognitive meaning with flowers and leaves emerging from its surface.
The Future
What AI’s sensory void tells us about thinking on “the road to meaning”
Cognitive neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explores the differences, and similarities, of how AI and humans make meaning of the world.
Christopher Summerfield
A miniature tank made from rolled and stacked U.S. hundred-dollar bills is displayed on a red background.
The Present
How the United States turned the world economy into a battlefield
By weaponizing the global economy, the U.S. initiated a new era of economic warfare and transformed how major powers compete.
Kevin Dickinson
Large white text reading “maybe” in quotation marks, with a purple scribble behind it, is shown on a black background.
Neuropsych
Turn life’s disruptions into a path forward with this 2-step process
When plans fall apart, adaptability can build something better.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff
A woman smiles at a baby in a crib, holding a toy while the baby reaches out, attempting their first words. They appear to be in a domestic setting.
The Past
In praise of history’s famous first words
While death-bed utterances are more famous, baby’s first words have influenced us too.
Michael Erard
Collage featuring Donald Trump on 'The Apprentice', Kim Kardashian on a red carpet, a film script, and a camera operator, capturing the behind-the-scenes essence of reality TV.
High Culture
Breaking taboos and blurring truths: How reality TV has shaped society in its own image
From Allen Funt to Donald Trump, author Emily Nussbaum explains how reality TV has blurred the lines between, well, reality and TV.
Tim Brinkhof
A person with light hair is turned sideways, holding and reading a partially redacted book filled with pseudonyms, all set against a black grid background.
High Culture
5 famous authors who used pseudonyms (and why they did it)
From acclaimed novels to heretical treatises, sometimes a writer just doesn't want to put their name on the cover.
Scotty Hendricks
In the store aisle brimming with products, a person examines the label of a purple bottle, curious about the latest scienceploitation claims that promise groundbreaking benefits.
Thinking
Exploring the wild and disturbing world of “scienceploitation”
Timothy Caulfield, a leading science communicator, discusses the challenges of combatting misinformation in an age of information overload.
Ross Pomeroy
A group of people on a boat watch as a patrol vessel approaches on calm, open water under a clear sky, reflecting ongoing migration statistics in the region.
The Present
Numbers vs narratives: Unraveling the truth behind today’s global migration statistics
Migration statistics should be regarded with wariness as they are difficult to analyze properly and easily manipulated for political gain.
Ian Goldin
Abstract black and white image of two figures embracing, with swirling line patterns and contrasting shadows evoking a textured effect that subtly hints at negative emotions.
Neuropsych
Embrace your dark side: A new perspective on negative emotions
Ethan Kross, psychologist and author of "Shift," explains how negative emotions help us live safely and well.
Kevin Dickinson
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