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Cultural Identity
12mins
Is “identity synthesis” the remedy for racial injustice? This political scientist says no.
"Values emphasizing tolerance and self-expression have diverged most sharply, especially between high-income Western countries and the rest of the world."
The fellowship's journey through Middle-earth mirrors the modernization of the English countryside.
Although social paranoia is more common than clinical paranoia, studies suggests that American society isn’t any more conspiratorial than it has been in the past.
Japanese thought can’t be easily characterized by just a few books — but this essential guide is a great place to start.
Esperanto was intended to be an easy-to-learn second language that enabled you to speak with anyone on the planet.
37mins
Coleman Hughes advocates for a colorblind America, presenting compelling arguments in favor of treating all individuals without regard to race.
The Uros of Lake Titicaca live on floating islands made from reeds. How did they get there?
6mins
The Osbournes was MTV’s biggest show – and it almost cost Jack Osbourne his life. Here’s how his family’s reality TV fame stole his childhood, and how he’s been able to heal since.
Unlikely Collaborators
A basement renovation project led to the archaeological discovery of a lifetime: the Derinkuyu Underground City, which housed 20,000 people.
6mins
Jim Lee, President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics, tells us how his childhood obsession with Superman changed his life.
Unlikely Collaborators
Arieh Smith, a New York City-based polyglot who runs the YouTube channel Xiaomanyc, talks language-learning with Big Think.
How much do citizens really value free elections?
The tonal Native American language differentiates words based on pitch and makes Spanish conjugation look like child’s play.
'Six Persimmons,' an ink painting by the Chinese monk Mu Qi, has long been hailed as the poster child of Zen Buddhism. But is its reputation deserved?
After my father died, my journey of rediscovery began with the Czech language.
He is only out-sold by William Shakespeare and Lao Tzu.
In war zones, aggressors steal art to eradicate the cultural heritage of others. Victims, meanwhile, sell stolen art in order to survive.
Traditionally, the long history of Japanese thought has not been viewed as “philosophy” — even by Japanese scholars. It’s time for a rethink.
If you find yourself on one of these roads, it might be a while before you see another fellow traveler.
Australian soldiers fighting the Japanese recruited native New Guineans to their campaign.
In Georgia, it's becoming less common to pronounce words like "prize" as "prahz."
A history of othering, experimentation, and mystery.
Musical preferences are correlated with personality traits — and these connections are largely consistent across cultures and continents.
Art isn't a side note in human history; it's the main text.
Six hundred years in the history of trousers.
Music is part of the human experience, which is why some philosophers have written about it. Some had wacky ideas.
In Kannauj, perfumers have been making monsoon-infused mitti attar for centuries.
These landscapes — of geographical differences in head shapes — have vanished from acceptable science (and cartography).
What better explains the prevalence of heavy metal in Scandinavian countries: culture or economy?