Steve Fleming has an interesting article at Aeon on the advisability of sometimes taking your time with making decisions. Whether lingering too long over the menu at a restaurant, or abrupt U-turns by politicians, flip-flopping does not have a good reputation. By contrast, quick, decisive responses are associated with competency: they command respect. Acting on … Continue reading Taking your time with decisions
Month: January 2014
A Fantastic Voyage – Charles And Ray Eameses ‘Powers Of Ten’
Why You Should Upload Yourself to a Supercomputer
We're still decades — if not centuries — away from being able to transfer a mind to a supercomputer. It's a fantastic future prospect that makes some people incredibly squeamish. But there are considerable benefits to living a digital life. Here's why you should seriously consider uploading. via Why You Should Upload Yourself to a … Continue reading Why You Should Upload Yourself to a Supercomputer
Interview of Ara Norenzayan on Inquiring Minds podcast
As I mentioned before, I have a big backlog of podcasts that I'm working through on my lunch walks. Many of you have probably already heard this, but just in case you haven't: If you enjoyed my review of Ara Norenzayan's book, 'Big Gods', then you'll probably also enjoy this interview of him by Chris … Continue reading Interview of Ara Norenzayan on Inquiring Minds podcast
Rationally Speaking: What virtues, and why?
At any rate, what I’d like to do here is to explore a bit more of my own preferred framework for ethics, neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics (the “neo” prefix should alert the reader that I’m not about to defend everything Aristotle said, but rather discuss an updated version of the idea, based of course on his … Continue reading Rationally Speaking: What virtues, and why?
This View of Life: The Evolution of Fairness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOtlN4pNArk Brosnan and de Waal’s finding of fairness in the capuchin monkey has settled the long-standing question of whether animals have a sense of fairness and further blurred the line between humans and other animals in a new territory: the sphere of morality. *** The questions now are how fairness works and why it evolved. … Continue reading This View of Life: The Evolution of Fairness
Is our tech making the world too complex? – Samuel Arbesman – Aeon
For centuries, humans have been creating ever-more complicated systems, from the machines we live with to the informational systems and laws that keep our global civilisation stitched together. Technology continues its fantastic pace of accelerating complexity — offering efficiencies and benefits that previous generations could not have imagined — but with this increasing sophistication and … Continue reading Is our tech making the world too complex? – Samuel Arbesman – Aeon
Why a Larger Multiverse Shouldn’t Make You Feel Small | Max Tegmark
The Higgs Boson was predicted with the same tool as the planet Neptune and the radio wave: with mathematics. Why does our universe seem so mathematical, and what does it mean? In my new book, Our Mathematical Universe, which comes out today, I argue that it means that our universe isn't just described by math, … Continue reading Why a Larger Multiverse Shouldn’t Make You Feel Small | Max Tegmark
Here’s What These Record Low Temperatures Say About Global Warming
As the frigid polar vortex makes itself at home over a giant swath of the country, it's also serving as fodder for all those equally unwelcome climate change deniers. Despite the fact that 97 percent of scientists agree that man-made climate change is happening, the likes of Donald Trump say many of these record lows … Continue reading Here’s What These Record Low Temperatures Say About Global Warming
Should Scientists Debate Creationists?
The perpetually-bowtied science educator Bill Nye “The Science Guy” is slated to debate creationist Ken Ham, the founder of Kentucky’s Creation Museum, on Feb. 4. Many scientists are uneasy about the debate — not because they are concerned that Ken Ham will provide new creationist evidence or arguments that will leave Nye cowering and apologizing … Continue reading Should Scientists Debate Creationists?
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