Words of Wisdom — June 20, 2014

John le Carre on Seeing the World

“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” – John le Carre

bigthinkeditor

“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” – John le Carre

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Pope Francis and Holding “Amoral” Subjects to a Moral Standard

Critics debate whether Pope Francis has any standing to comment on matters of world economics. Andrew Napolitano at Fox News questions whether Francis possesses the competency to discuss youth unemployment. Elizabeth Stoker of The Week argues that the pope has the duty to hold world economics to a moral standard.