Byung-Chul Han diagnosed what he called “the violence of positivity,” deriving from “overproduction, overachievement, and overcommunication.” We are so stimulated, chiefly by the Internet, that we paradoxically cannot feel or comprehend much of anything. - The New Yorker
The philosopher Gregory Currie has examined the implications of how fiction encourages us to imagine a character’s experience. If a character in a film or novel is grieving, for instance, you might find yourself taking on what you imagine to be their thoughts, desires and emotional pain, as if they were your own. - Psyche
We also find that countries with similar per-capita GDP levels have held similar values over the last 40 years. Over time, however, geographic proximity has emerged as an increasingly strong correlate of value similarity, indicating that values have diverged globally but converged regionally. - Nature
Today, now that the passion for theory has been largely spent, it can be hard to explain why it was once felt to be so fascinating. Surely its exotic pedigree played a role. - Boston Review
“Prehistory is about the present day; it always has been. Over the 250 or so years that human origins have been pursued, studied, and taught, the countless stories and theories proposed have said a lot more about the current moment than the distant past.” - The Wall Street Journal
In 1942, a young man at war wrote a defense of the liberal arts to his family, and to his favorite professor - letters that have inspired his relatives to understand how central ideas are to democracy. - The Atlantic
"With their offbeat B-movie feel, these stories are ‘managing to mess with this dichotomy between the good representation and the bad representation,’” one expert says of such movies as Bottoms, Love Lies Bleeding, and Drive-Away Dolls. - The New York Times
Or so says SNL’s Bowen Yang. "You look at a Hopper painting , and it’s like people being in rooms regarding the arrangement of the city, which is people in close proximity who are still isolated on some level." - The New York Times
Basically, “Just because you see something done in a movie, that doesn't mean you should try it yourself.” But let’s talk physics, including “fake forces.” - Wired
“For years, no one has known where the bus used in Stephan Elliott’s film went. Not long after the 38-day shoot finished in 1993, it seemingly vanished without a trace." - The Guardian (UK)
"Don’t use Shazam on your Apple Watch to figure out the songs on the music round. … Don’t throw your arm up in the air while Shazam is still on your Apple Watch so everyone can see that you’re using it to cheat.” - Washington Post
Making thoughtful and defensible decisions requires practice and self-discipline. And this is where the hidden harm that AI exposes people to comes in: AI does most of its “thinking” behind the scenes and presents users with answers that are stripped of context and deliberation. - The Conversation
A consequence of the cultural obsession with self-improvement is the hyperfixation on the self. From elaborate skin care regimens to the culling of “toxic” friends from your social circle, some will go through extreme lengths in the name of self-preservation and betterment. - Vox
How do artists think? As I considered my flailing artistic efforts, I realized I was begging for entrance into the artist’s head. If I could somehow make the process legible, I might find making art myself less intimidating. - New York Magazine
Victims of nostalgia, as Hofer identified, were primarily young people and adolescents sent to alien lands, regions and cities. He was very clear about the malady’s prognosis: it was potentially fatal, particularly if left untreated. - History Today
