books

According to Tolkien, fantasy requires a deep imagination known as “sub-creation.” And the genre reflects a fundamental truth of being human.

From medieval myths to Shakespeare’s plays and modern cinema, British culture kept the Roman Empire alive long after its fall.

The award-winning nature writer, Robert Macfarlane, talks with Big Think about how to reacquaint ourselves with the rivers in our lives.

Nurture your passions instead.

From “crave” packs to Valentine bookings, the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain values innovation from every level of the organization.

Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz thought that “blowing sunshine” was the right way to handle pressure — here’s how he corrected his mistake.

A.J. Jacobs looks back at what he learned about religion, himself, and modern American culture during “The Year of Living Biblically.”

The comedian and musician behind the viral hit “BBL Drizzy” shares the books that shaped his thinking and approach to art.

Will platforms continue to offer the like button as an all-purpose tool — or will each of the button’s various functions exist in new forms?

What happens when scientists “write what they know”? Some amazing science fiction stories.

In this preview from “The Saucerian,” author Gabriel Mckee explains how the combination of fantastical stories and obscure bureaucracy launched the “space age of the imagination.”

As we shape our future we should ask: Which interpretations of classic sci-fi fables hold sway with today’s powerful tech leaders?

Warren Buffett famously noted that Berkshire Hathaway would “never depend on the kindness of strangers to stay in business.” Startups take note.

If an asteroid hadn’t killed off the dinosaurs, humans would almost certainly have never walked the Earth.

“Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms, like books written in a truly foreign language.”

In “Enough Is Enuf,” Gabe Henry traces the history of simplified spelling movements and the lessons they teach us about language.

By looking outside the current wave of hype, we can create a framework for weighing up the practical impact of AI on any business.

Networking — not zombie-crunching your job applications — gives you a better chance of getting sourced or referred for a role.

How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.

The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit “Pantheon.”

Adam Bryant makes a key observation about rising to the challenges of leadership — and your change-resistant former self won’t like it.

We manipulate constantly — but few of us want to be called “manipulative.” Here, ex-Google executive Jenny Wood redefines an unfairly maligned trait.

OpenAI has become a household name in artificial intelligence — but back in 2018 things looked very rocky. Here’s what happened.

When you enter someone’s home, you learn how life is lived elsewhere.

These books helped build the empirical case that life’s origins differ from those described in myths and legends.

The nature of “the mind” is always vast and clear no matter how swamped by information we feel — and leaders can learn to embrace this space.

“Personality isn’t based on what we say we’ll do. It’s rooted in what we actually do, which becomes what we think about.”

Cognitive neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explores the differences, and similarities, of how AI and humans make meaning of the world.

Buddhism has rules for slaying your enemies. But the real surprise is finding out who your enemies actually are.