ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

IDEAS

We’ve Been Obsessing On The End Of The World Since Time Began

Apparently, we’ve been thinking about wholesale termination at least since about 1800 B.C., the date ascribed to the myth of Atrahasis, a Mesopotamian creation story that predates Biblical writings by several hundred years and features a world-cleansing flood. - The New Yorker

A Life Of Psychological Riches

A psychologically rich life is one filled with diverse, unusual and interesting experiences that change your perspective; a life with twists and turns; a dramatic, eventful life instead of a simple and straightforward one; a life with multiplicity and complexity. - The Guardian

Storytelling And The Art Of Advice

A traditional story forgoes psychological realism in favor of a universality that can be integrated into the lives of its listeners. The novel, on the other hand, offers vicarious experiences that are often psychologically relatable and even cathartic but bear more on the cultivation of feeling than on the guidance of action. - Hedgehog Review

A “Vibe Shift” In Our Culture? Maybe Not

The term “vibe shift,” which was apparently created by the members of the scene and sort of stolen by journalists and interpreters, is itself telling. It is really a shift not in but to vibes: to mood itself, that is to say, something felt but not fully articulated or articulable. - Unpopular Front

Your Memories — Guided By Your Online Digital Trail

The moments that these photographs recall have no active hold in my memory. Still, upon seeing them—presenting themselves as the definite proof of truth, helpfully supplicated with captions from myself—my narrative of the present shifts to accommodate the information. - Public Books

The Super-Communication Technologies That Separate Us

 The cost-benefit calculation is complicated and nuanced, requiring us to find a course between apocalyptic visions of civilizational decline and the naive utopianism of Silicon Valley. - LA Review of Books

Laughing Is Fun. But Anthropologically…

There’s nothing like getting caught in a giggle loop, where the desire to laugh builds until it bursts out at a disastrous moment. Only then do we often realize that laughter is a rather strange phenomenon. - Sapiens

How Do We Determine Bad Art From Good?

Do we believe, with T.S Eliot and others, in our duty to work towards what he calls the correction of taste? - Salmagundi

In A Time Of Relentless Change, What, Artistically Should Stay Consistent?

The idea of there being something fundamentally stable about an artist, independent of outside forces, makes sense. It’s what allows them to experiment with style and genre and persona and still be legible to their audiences. - The New York Times

Could AI Be A Way To A Better You?

Instead of functioning as a means of top-down compliance and control, A.I. can help us understand ourselves, act on our preferences and realize our aspirations. In this way, perfect recall isn’t just a tool for remembering the past. It’s also a compass that provides a clearer understanding of our goals and improves our decision-making. - The New York Times

People Who Know Little About AI Are Much Friendlier Toward Using It

Bascially? People who understand AI isn’t “magical” are less enamored of it. - Wired

How The Von Trapps Actually Got To America Wasn’t Like The Movie

They climbed no mountains, and were aided directly in getting visas by Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. But, to be fair, Maria did arrive from a convent with her guitar. - Slate

The Death Of The Commons

What does Starbucks’ new bathroom policy have to do with an ability to gather in public, and the forces destroying that ability? - The Atlantic

The Reading Gender Gap Isn’t Big, But Also, Men Have Bigger Problems Than Not Reading

“Novels can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution, nor are books the only way to get closer to humanity, or imagine a better world, or to feel empathy for someone you may never meet. A book could fix a man, but it’s not the only way to, and it’s not a sure thing.” - LitHub

Ways To Think About Being Stupid

We should embrace conscious ignorance—an intellectual humility that helps us recognize our own limitations while remaining receptive to the knowledge of others. This form of ignorance, like the Socratic “I know that I know nothing,” is the foundation of true competence. - CJR

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