NATURE.COM -- This year [2014], debates in physics circles took a worrying turn. Some researchers called for a change in how theoretical physics is done. They began to argue -- explicitly -- that if a theory is sufficiently elegant and explanatory, it need not be tested experimentally ... We disagree. As the philosopher of science Karl Popper argued: a theory must be falsifiable to be scientific.
MEDIUM.COM -- THE POLYMATH PROJECT -- One can go through life in one of two mindsets: "Finders Mode," constantly looking to enforce your worldview on others. Everything is either proof that you were right, or plainly false. And "Seekers Mode," where you are not looking to confirm your worldview. What you look for is understanding, why a particular answer is in fact the right answer to a question, not that it is.
OZANVAROL.COM -- When J.K. Rowling submitted a draft copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to publishing houses, they were unanimous in their opinion.... Her manuscript was rejected by no fewer than twelve different publishing houses, until it ended up on the desk of Nigel Newton, the chairman of Bloomsbury Publishing. Newton saw potential in the book where his rivals missed it. What was Newton's secret?
DEVIANTART.COM -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: Though often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, the quote belongs to English history scholar, Henry Thomas Buckle.] ARTICLE: Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. ...
INTROVERTDEAR.COM -- There are reasons why introverts sometimes feel so alien and are so often misunderstood.... Many societies extol the virtues of extroversion, and many extroverts cast a dubious eye on the gifts introverts bring to the world. Sadly, often we don't even comprehend our own contributions.... Studies show that introverts make up 30-50% of the population.... The more I learned about introversion, the more my life started to make sense. ...
[H/T MOHIB EBRAHIM] -- INTROVERTDEAR.COM -- Sophia Dembling, Psychology Today blogger and author of The Introvert's Way, writes, "The number-one misconception about introversion is that it's about shyness...". According to Susan Cain, TED speaker and author of Quiet, shyness and introversion are completely different things. "Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments." ...
THEFEDERALIST.COM -- People with Down syndrome are at a growing risk of being targeted for abortion.... When Jessica Capitani's son was born, she remembers doctors, nurses and specialists continuing to ask her about her baby ... "Didn't you have the test?"... Capitani, pro-choice on abortion, says "The hypocrisy became too great to defend. I'm blessed to be where I am today. I am a better mother, wife and person because of my son." ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- Our annual compilation of the web's best viral videos of 2015! Huge thanks to everyone who shared their amazing videos this year and to Owl City & Aloe Blacc for the incredible track Verge! Thanks also to all of you for watching, commenting, liking and sharing our videos this year! ...
INTROVERTDEAR.COM -- Silence actually helps our brain regenerate cells ... If we think of our brains like a muscle, then noise and constant thought are like a hard workout, and silence is like the protein that helps it recover afterward. None of us would do a tough workout followed by another tough workout--we would allow our bodies to recuperate. Our brains need the same treatment. ...
HUFFINGTONPOST.CA -- In a loud and distracting world, finding pockets of stillness can benefit your brain and body. Here are four science-backed reasons why.... As Herman Melville once wrote, "All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence."... Getting quiet can regenerate brain cells. Silence can quite literally grow the brain.... We live in a loud and distracting world, ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- WESTAR INSTITUTE -- A short excerpt from Karen Armstrong's 2006 presentation "What is Religion?" In it, she says "religion is not about belief, it's not about philosophy, it's not about metaphysics" and that we have made "religious life very difficult for ourselves by forcing people or making people feel they have to accept certain rather abstruse theological abstractions" ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- Karen Armstrong's provocative views often challenge the perspectives of faith-based communities, although her teachings encourage an understanding of the commonalities between religions and their origins. She says: "all the world's religions insist that there's something wrong with your spirituality if it doesn't lead you to practical compassion, to a profound respect for other people, seeing other people as sacredly inviolable and and unique." ...
![55 Insightful Quotes To Live By [Infographic]](https://ismailidigest.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/6226c186f4.jpeg)
QUOTERY.COM -- We really wanted to show off a variety of our favorite quotes -- many of which don't get the attention they deserve. Some of the quotations are inspiring, while others are funny or heartwarming. But we think you'll agree that regardless of the intention behind the quote, all of these gems are insightful. ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- LIFEHUNTERS -- We asked three centenarians what their most valuable life lessons were, and also their regrets. The conversations that followed were remarkable. They talked about the importance of family, people, relationships and love. Their view on life, as an elderly citizen with a lot of experience is truly an inspiration and motivation. Enjoy the video! ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- The film opens in a smart home, where the slightly smug owner can do everything from making a smoothie to unlocking the front door simply by voice command. Everything runs smooth until ... Rema 1000 is a Norwegian supermarket chain. For many years they have ran their marketing concept: "Simplicity is king" which is also their philosophy. ...
[H/T MOHIB EBRAHIM] -- LOGANJONESBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM -- A few months ago, I mentioned Dr. Sherry Turkle's Ted talk "Connected, but Alone" in my "It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's the Internet!" post. Dr. Turkle discussed how technology has resulted in constant communication in order to mask loneliness and an ignorance of how to be alone. Continuing with this theme about technology's damaging ...
QUIETREV.COM -- I met some really incredible people at TED conferences I attended, and Rabbi David Wolpe was one of them. Here he is on the power of solitude: When he was a child, the Seer of Lublin (later a famous Hasidic master) used to go off into the woods by himself. When his father, worried, asked him why, he said 'I go ...
[H/T SAHIL BADRUDDIN] -- YOUTUBE.COM -- BIG THINK -- Do you really want to win an argument, or do you want to find mutual ground and understanding? Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson feels that in most cases it's the latter. It might take some getting used to, he posits, as acquiescence by its very nature means admitting that you're wrong in some way. So how do you deal ...
MEDIUM.COM -- You don't need a degree to ask big questions. Have you ever spent two years pouring your heart and soul into a project that only three people will ever see? In academia, we call that your "dissertation." Philosophers spend a lot of time writing things and trying to get them published in journals nobody reads -- not even other philosophers -- because in order to ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist, action film actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher and filmmaker. He is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. He is often credited with helping to change the ...
THOUGHTCATALOG.COM -- You don't need a revenge body. You don't need a revenge career. You don't need a revenge life. If any one of these things is something you are seriously motivated by, you need to check yourself. Sure, the idea that one day all of the people who doubted and rejected you could be impressed by you and know that they were wrong is nice. ...
THEAMERICANSCHOLAR.ORG -- THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: By former Yale English professor William Deresiewicz, self-described as "an atheist, democratic socialist, [and] card-carrying member of the liberal elite."] ARTICLE: Power, class, and the new campus religion . Of course, colleges like Scripps and its ilk are only diverse in terms of identity. In terms of ideology, they are all but homogeneous. You don't have "different voices" ... you have different bodies, speaking with the same voice. ...
NYTIMES.COM -- NEW YORK TIMES -- We progressives believe in diversity, and we want women, blacks, Latinos, gays and Muslims at the table - er, so long as they aren't conservatives.... I wondered whether universities stigmatize conservatives and undermine intellectual diversity.... Four studies found that the proportion of professors in the humanities who are Republicans ranges between 6 and 11%, and in the social sciences between 7 and 9%. ...
MEDIUM.COM -- It is really, really, really hard to be right.... "A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right, basically all the time, about basically everything ... As absurd as it sounds when we stop to think about it, our steady state seems to be one of unconsciously assuming that we are very close to omniscient." Admitting you might be wrong can transform ...
THEPOLYMATHPROJECT.COM -- Smil was a little-known academic until he rose into public awareness thanks to Bill Gates. Gates has read all of Smil's books and goes as far as to say, "I learn more by reading Vaclav Smil than just about anyone." ... Here are a few things I'm learning from him on how to think clearly: Read widely, with maximum curiosity ... Put reality first and theory last ... Manage your identity ...
CREATIVITYATWORK.COM -- "To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -- Albert Einstein "And if everybody says that you are wrong, then you are one step ahead. But there is one situation which is better still, when ...
TED.COM -- What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone - but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- Riddle 01: An ice cold mystery - The coach is found dead on the ice rink with and ice skate lodged in his chest ... Who is the murderer? Riddle 02: The camping accident - Is it a crime or an accident? Riddle 03: The detective meet up - Detective west and detective lance have to meet up, can you ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- AL JAZEERA -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: In 2008, Hazar Imam said, "[Nuclear power] has the potential to change the global economic scenario."] ARTICLE: A number of research projects are currently exploring thorium as an alternative to traditional nuclear fuels. Thorium reactors are safer and easier to control. The waste produced is a tiny fraction of what conventional reactors produce and has a far shorter half-life. ...
TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM -- MIT -- Cheaper and cleaner nuclear plants could finally become reality -- but not in the United States, where the technology was invented more than 50 years ago.... Today's Chinese program, in fact, is the fruit of a unique and somewhat controversial partnership between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Shanghai Institute. In February I flew through the interior of a ...
WIRED.COM -- [ISMAILI DIGEST ED: In 2010, Hazar Imam said, "[M]y sense is we are looking to the future for a massive increase in nuclear use around the world."] ARTICLE: Thorium by itself could start to solve [convential nuclear] problems ... the element leaves behind minuscule amounts of waste [that only] needs to be stored for only a few hundred years, not a few hundred thousand like other nuclear byproducts ... In 1965, Weinberg and his team built a working reactor ... that would have zero risk of meltdown. ...
THOUGHTCATALOG.COM -- Whether you're shopping online, scrolling through social media, or streaming a film, your every move is being logged and processed by software. There's a recommendation engine at every digital turn, powered by a finely tuned algorithm that suggests what you should watch, buy, or read next. But when your next move is driven directly by your existing interests, you can easily end up stuck in a bubble of similar content, products, and ideas. ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- Not all celebrations have to be about huge, monumental affairs. Sometimes the smallest moments in everyday lives are worth celebrating. ...
THEFEDERALIST.COM -- It has been a year since my mother died. She was 85 and had been in ill health, so her death wasn't unexpected.... Yet I will be forever thankful for the opportunity I was given to care for her at home in her last days. As hard as those days were, they were also a priceless gift. I can't help ...
YOUTUBE.COM -- QED, BBC DOCUMENTARY -- One Glasgow GP has been interested enough to try Buteyko ... Dr Gerald Spence had become frustrated at spending a 1/10th of the budget of his inner-city practise on ever more potent asthma drugs without seeing much improvement in his patients.... "It is so effective, they are able to reduce medication.... The simple fact is that in 34 patients, prior to Buteyko, they were costing UKP 15,000 per year for their asthma medication. After Buteyko they cost UKP 5,000."
NYTIMES.COM -- I don't often write about alternative remedies for serious medical conditions.... [But] I've seen Buteyko work miraculously well for a friend who had little choice but to stop using the steroid medications that were keeping him alive.... Various trials, have found that those diligent about practicing Buteyko breathing can expect a 90% reduction in the use of rescue inhalers and ... 50% for steroids within 3-6 months.
RATIONALOPTIMIST.COM -- MATT RIDLEY, THE TIMES -- Social media's echo chambers may do to society what radio once did.... Social media is polarising our discourse more painfully than before. It amplifies the personal and the extreme, hots up the echo chamber and gives wings to lies. Confirmation bias rules, preaching to the converted dominates, nuance vanishes and moderates stay silent.... Now, opinions are boiled down to a single shout.
THEFEDERALIST.COM -- If you really want to persuade people, avoid arguing on social media and invest in education, community, and real-life conversations. We didn't really need rock-solid proof that arguments on social media are pointless, but the Pew Research Center has finally provided some evidence. In a survey released recently, Pew says only 14 percent of Americans report changing their minds because of something posted, or a debate they engaged with, on social media. ...
QZ.COM -- In the digital age, it's easier than ever to avoid spending time alone with our thoughts.... In fact, we so dislike solitude that we would rather administer electric shocks to ourselves than just sit and think. That's right--in studies that asked participants to spend six to 15 minutes in a room without any other stimulation, a significant portion opted to zap themselves just for the sake of breaking out of their brains. ...
