DM Good morning. What are the core reasons that humans across history, and still today, appear to possess, leverage, and perhaps enjoy such (overt!) bloodlust for solving personal and collective problems, such as conflict, aggression and greed (even as continuing enjoyment within our entertainment)? Good morning, Sciart. This is one of those questions that sits at the uncomfortable intersection of our evolved nature and our aspirations for ourselves. Let me walk through seve

For humanities departments to continue to matter, they must challenge the modern world rather than accommodate it. Excerpt: "As a humanities professor myself, the biggest danger I see to the discipline is the growing perception, fueled by the ubiquity of large language models, that knowledge is cheap—a resource whose procurement ought to be easy and frictionless. The humanities, which value rigorous inquiry for its own sake, will always be at odds with a world that thinks thi

DM Is a water molecule (H20) generally stable (aka: somewhat "permanent") in its solid, liquid and gaseous states; or does it diminish/return to hydrogen and liquid; or does it change into other more complex or different molecules? I realize there are "lighter" formations of water. Water molecules are remarkably stable across all three phases - solid ice, liquid water, and gaseous steam. The H₂O molecule itself doesn't spontaneously break apart into hydrogen and oxygen under

For all its promise, tech risks instilling in students an unthinking yet false understanding of themselves, writes University of Dallas President Jonathan J. Sanford.

DM Good morning! After all our multitudes of conversations directly or indirectly which relates to my topic of today, I again want to continue to explore the essential factor(s), core(s) or most fundamental reason(s) for why humans, and by extension, collective units of humanity, so endlessly and tenaciously rely upon, display and spread unfounded confidence, certainties and outright hubris within the knowledge which they hold so dear and constantly project to others. This in

When nations clash, military prowess is important—but don’t forget about endurance, supply and alliances.

History shows that progress often depends on activists at both ends of the spectrum. More from " The Engine of Progress" ... Exploring the people and ideas driving humanity forward.

For those of my generation on the continent, the estrangement from the U.S. feels like the death of a beloved relative—but it may not be as final.

Humans are less monogamous than some mice but rank higher than one breed of sheep, says a new study

Solving the mystery of the guitarist’s longevity may be our best hope of aging gracefully

Anthropic's Kyle Fish is exploring whether A.I. is Holophrenic™ (possesses consciousness and/or agency)? Related Also related One more

Innovations in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and quantum computing are set to change how we wage war just as they transform all aspects of our lives

DM Good day to you.  It's occurred to me over the last year that our current Federal government leaders are now advancing, partially or fully, to mirror the autocratic/plutocratic-leaning leadership and management design, behaviors and outcomes which are typical of many mature U.S. capitalistic business organizations; ... and by doing so, embodying prospects of similar, or greater, dysfunctions and risks to our relatively fragile society. Do you agree as to these emerging p

Anthropic is challenging the world’s biggest AI players with a bold mission: to build systems that are both powerful and aligned with human values. The company’s president and cofounder, Daniela Amodei, will join WIRED’s Steven Levy for a candid conversation about Anthropic’s “constitutional” approach to AI safety, the race to develop ever-smarter models, and how to balance innovation with accountability. Related: the A.I. "delusion crisis"

Why meaning may be nothing but preference, according to a young philosopher.

“The custom of the sea” ended with a landmark conviction in Britain.

The distinguished historian says the U.S. isn’t like other nations and never has been. There is no U.S. ethnicity to back up the state.

Government-spec’d glory projects produce tech demos. Enduring progress demands a better way forward. Counterpoints KEY TAKEAWAYS OF FIRST LINK ABOVE: In this op-ed, Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic, argues that government-led “glory projects” ultimately hurt the aerospace industry they were meant to advance. He writes that both the Apollo and Concorde programs chased prestige over practicality, producing technological marvels with no sustainable path forward. Scholl belie

At the foundation of America’s progress movement are immigrants who still believe this country can build. KEY TAKEAWAYS In October, the Roots of Progress Institute organized Progress Conference 2025 to connect people and ideas in the progress movement. In this dispatch from the conference, writer and RPI fellow Afra Wang explores how immigrant founders are driving America’s new era of “physical dynamism.” She finds that America’s capacity to build — and to believe in building

Before we can build the future, we have to imagine it. KEY TAKEAWAYS In this op-ed, Beatrice Erkers argues that progress begins with culture: the stories, symbols, and shared visions that make certain futures feel worth building. She explores how cultural forces like memes and movies act as “invisible infrastructure,” shaping technology, policy, and ambition long before they materialize in the real world. According to Erkers, we must deliberately invest in a culture of hope —