In collaboration with Exponential Finance

The transcendental philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson stressed that maintaining an open mind requires the ability to understand that contrary opinions are not innately steeped in ill will.

Human intelligence is richer than logic: It includes "being funny, being sexy, expressing a loving sentiment — maybe in a poem or in a musical piece."

Think not in terms of the bottom line, but the skyline.

"Whenever racial discrimination exists it is a tragic expression of man’s spiritual degeneracy and moral bankruptcy. Therefore, it must be removed not merely because it is diplomatically expedient, but because it is morally compelling."

What if Bill Nye were your warm, rational uncle? What if you could informally ask his opinion on anything from black holes to the zombie apocalypse? Well now you can. 

"No ruler is ever really dethroned by his subjects. No hand but his own ever takes the crown from his head. ... When he ceases to lead ... the revolt which casts him from power is only the outward manifestation of his previous abdication."

Today, anyone who is driven by a dream to solve a problem has the opportunity to change the world. This wasn't the case in past eras.

"To do successful research, you don't need to know everything; you just need to know one thing that isn't known."

What will historians say about our time 250 years from now? Lawrence Summers asks this question in a thought-provoking lecture about the evolution of ideas.

Words of wisdom from the Wizard of Menlo Park: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

We all want to be financially stable and enjoy a well-funded retirement, but we don't want to squander our hard-earned money on poor investments.

Yale Professor Jeffrey Brenzel argues that reading the great classics can not only enrich your education, but also actually make your life better.

The most important thing about art is every person's capacity to make it, and that the body/mind discipline of cultivating your artistic abilities has collateral utility for every aspect of life.

Our successes and failures are similarly linked to others, though we may feel their effects only personally. Every choice you make, every behavior you exhibit, and even every desire you have finds its roots in the social universe.  

Professor Douglas Melton takes a look at the basis for regenerative medicine, the human body’s ability to divide, grow, and specialize cells.

We're halfway through our rollout of The Floating University here at Big Think. It's some of the most vital, timely, and mind-changing video content anywhere on the Web. Here's number six of 12 on our list, featuring Yale psychologist Paul Bloom.

Words of wisdom from public intellectual Noam Chomsky: "One of the problems of organizing ... is that people tend to think — even the activists — that instant gratification is required. You constantly hear: 'Look I went to a demonstration, and we didn't stop the war, so what's the use of doing it again?'"

Words of Wisdom from the legendary Chrysler executive: "Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people."

Earth Day words of wisdom from the great Scottish-American environmentalist John Muir, excerpted from his 1901 book Our Natural Parks.