Search
History and Society
A brief guide to habits that separate deep understanding from superficial knowledge — and how to cultivate them.
Ring galaxies are rare, but we think we know how they form. A new, early-stage version, the Bullseye galaxy, provides a new testing ground.
Delirium is one of the most perplexing deathbed phenomena, exposing the gap between our cultural ideals of dying words and the reality of a disoriented mind.
Could AI develop true intelligence without sentience? Philosopher Jonathan Birch explores the boundaries of artificial and evolved minds.
The primary causes of global climate change are all due to human activity. Adding aerosols to our atmosphere only exacerbates the problem.
Migration statistics should be regarded with wariness as they are difficult to analyze properly and easily manipulated for political gain.
Retrofitting America's aging dams for hydropower — while removing ecologically harmful ones — may be a productive path forward.
Historically, astronomers have often named things creatively, bizarrely, and often inaccurately. But which terms are the most egregious?
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
If we wish to tackle the very real problems society faces, we require expert-level knowledge. Valuing it starts earlier than we realize.
We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions. Call it “solutionism.”
Stockholm has been called a “unicorn factory” for its success with new businesses. A unique connection with sports philosophy helps explain why.
Embedding any leadership philosophy in sports demands a selective and multi-disciplinary approach.
George Raveling — the iconic leader who brought Michael Jordan to Nike — shares with Big Think a lifetime of priceless wisdom learned at the crossroads of sports and business.
Rebuilding the NFL franchise in the early 2020s echoed the corporate overhauls that had transformed Boeing and Ford.
The story of how the world high jump record was smashed in 1968 contains golden lessons for business and innovation.
How choosing Stoic acceptance — not dour resignation — galvanized great leaders from Thomas Edison to Phil Jackson and Tony Hawk.
7mins
After decades of drug and alcohol abuse, the chef and television personality labeled himself as an ‘irredeemable human being.’ Everything changed when he found the courage to ask for help.
Unlikely Collaborators
Sahil Bloom explores why wealth isn’t just about money, but about knowing which type of wealth matters most in each season of life.
Our Moon is full of craters, basins, and ancient lava flows. But two large lunar Grand Canyons have the same origin: a single, giant impact.
There are only four super star clusters in all the Local Group: rarities today. Here's what the youngest, the just-discovered N79, shows us.
If humanity lives in an otherwise barren Universe, we'll have to forge philosophy that fills the void.
"It’s only natural for us to get America back," quipped Kim Kielsen, former prime minister of Greenland, in 2019.
Do we really need to be religious to run a society well?
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
With a flurry of threats to scientists, science funding, and health policy, the USA now faces a crisis reminiscent of Soviet-era Lysenkoism.
“The only requisite for nonfiction is that it’s true," says Nathan Thrall, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama."
Life might be more common across the Universe than the "Hard Steps Model" suggests.
Effective leadership requires long-term strategy — not tactical reactions.
Cosmic inflation, proposed back in 1980, is a theory that precedes and sets up the hot Big Bang. After thorough testing, is it still valid?