There is a convincing scientific rationale for why the human self-image is so inaccurate. Evolution has no interest in truth or objectivity. Natural selection favors processes that help us to survive. Beliefs have no need to be truthful, only useful. - The Wall Street Journal
It’s a question that arises at odd moments—sometimes, perversely, when we’re surrounded by people who know us well. Suddenly, we become conscious of an inner sanctum they’ve never breached. - The New Yorker
Since at least the time of peripatetic Greek philosophers, many other writers have discovered a deep, intuitive connection between walking, thinking, and writing. - The New Yorker
Anderson “believed that, because even the smallest items help create a world onscreen, they needed to be ‘fully formed pieces of art and design.’” - The New York Times
Sure, it argued a few weeks ago that the Ku Klux Klan wasn’t that bad. But the real issue is that “it’s as if someone thought American political discourse was too healthy and needed some roughing up.” - Nieman Lab
The human power to view cause-and-effect as part of ‘objective reality’ (a philosophically fraught idea, but for now: the mind-independent world ‘out there’) is so basic, so automatic, that it’s difficult to imagine our experience without it. - Aeon
In domains where I have strong opinions, I spend a lot of time confidently arguing for those opinions and criticising views I think are mistaken. I spend much less time contemplating the possibility I’m deeply mistaken. Even when people tell me I’m wrong—a common occurrence. - Conspicuous Cognition
Scientists are finding experimental evidence that supports what Edison and Dalí knew all along — that the transition between wakefulness and sleep is a portal for creative thought. - Washington Post
Such is the prism of our information environment that AI discourse has become nearly as polarized as politics. Online influencers have sorted themselves into camps that include starry-eyed “accelerationists,” Cassandra-like “doomers” and skeptics who dismiss the technology as modern-day snake oil. - Washington Post
There are two errors we must avoid if we want to get closer to the truth: we shouldn’t believe things that are false, and we shouldn’t discount things that are true. If we focus solely on reducing belief in false content, as current efforts tend to do, we risk targeting one error at the expense of the other. -...
What do we talk about when we talk about the ‘Art World’ in 2025? It definitely doesn’t describe everyone who makes art, or buys art, or goes to a gallery. ‘Art World’ suggests a degree of gatekeeping, and maybe that’s ok. - Dazed
Obviously, there's no single answer as to why people seem to be struggling with cognitive skills, but one key indicator is the sharp decline in reading and the world's changing relationship to the way we consume information and media. - Futurism
What was once the mainstream media—the networks, the newspapers, certain magazines—years ago lost the command that it had of the nation’s attention and with it the ability to create a shared national understanding of what was going on in the world of reality. - The Point
The cancellation of Big Bird and co. would be a loss, but there’s something bigger going on. Sesame Street’s fate is symptomatic of a larger shift in how corporations, governments, and, increasingly, citizens have lost faith in the spirit of solidarity that made initiatives like the PBS show possible. - The Walrus
he past several decades have seen rampant consolidation via mergers and acquisitions across creative fields, all of it backed by rivers of Wall Street equity. In visual media, for example, there are just five major players (Comcast, Disney, Sony, Paramount, and Warner Bros). The music industry, meanwhile, has the big three labels. - Public Books
