Search
1mins
According to economist Thomas Piketty, the debate over whether it's better to raise or lower taxes is pointless if a government does not invest in growth and infrastructure.
Challenging our assumptions is difficult. And when it comes to redistributing income, all sides tend to come to the table with pretty ingrained notions of what is fair or what is good.
Researchers have found that five-year-olds are not immune to the "bystander effect." It turns out, in groups, the reason why kids don't take to helping someone is because they don't think it's their responsibility.
2mins
Author Kabir Sehgal discusses several reasons why Wall Street investors make irrational decisions that lead to market instability.
When presented with our own mortality, we become more giving, and happier as a result.
Why would anyone work on the weekend? Turns out some people get a productivity high.
The closest, brightest edge-on galaxy gives us a view like nothing else. “Since man, fragment of the universe, is governed by the same laws that preside over the heavens, it […]
Biologist Edward O. Wilson explains how humans came to dominate all other large animals by adopting eusocial behaviors most often associated with insects.
Recent reports about radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in ocean water off Canada reported the risk responsibly. At low doses, the risk is infinitesimal. More news coverage of radiation needs to say so.
It has become commonplace to see a "worm" based on the reactions of a tiny sample of audience members running across our screens during televised presidential debates. Psychologists tested whether the worm can influence our voting intentions and the results are worrying in the extreme.
When uncertainty strikes, we often fall back on superstition and lucky trinkets to help us succeed. But when we reframe these situations as opportunities for learning, we stop relying on luck and start improving ourselves.
We are living through another gilded age, but unlike the late 19th century, extremely high income inequality has failed to stoke popular fervor.
Sick of yogurt winding up stuck to the underside of the lid? Problem solved. “My love for you would blot out the sun like a cloud made out of yogurt. […]
Words of wisdom from Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet, author of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
Nearly half of Americans are "interested bystanders" who are aware of world events yet refuse to vote. A new survey finds that interested bystanders tend to take civic action only when they have a personal or professional stake.
Architect (and Big Think expert) Marc Kushner argues our current age of architecture will be remembered for experimentation and technological influence.
The World Health Organization warns that Ebola survivors are more susceptible to various health issues related to vision, joints, and fatigue.
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program features classes comprised of both incarcerated and non-incarcerated students. It is offered at over 100 universities.
A participatory budgeting system in which neighborhood residents vote on projects is getting a trial run in America's largest city.
An ideological battle over diversity, inclusion, and ownership is being fought over sci-fi's most prestigious awards.