05 January 2006

The Year of Thinking Dangerously

Each year, EDGE founder John Brockman poses a question to members of the so-called Third Culture. Last year's question (What is it you believe but cannot prove?) was translated into an utterly delightful book. This year, Brockman ups the intellectual ante, asking, "What is your dangerous idea?" The provocative answers promise a lively year ahead ...

Steven Pinker (TED03, 04): Groups of people may differ genetically in their average talents and temperaments
Clay Shirky (TEDGlobal): Free will is going away. Time to redesign society to take that into account.
Helen Fisher (TED06): Antidepressants (such as Prozac and many others) can jeopardize feelings of romantic love. If patterns of human love subtlely change, all sorts of social and political atrocities can escalate
Kevin Kelly (TED05): More anonymity is good.
Jared Diamond (TED03): Tribal peoples often damage their environments and make war.
Richard Dawkins (TED03, TEDGlobal): Retribution as a moral principle is incompatible with a scientific view of human behaviour.
Irene Pepperburg (TED05): The differences between humans and nonhumans are quantitative, not qualitative
Sir Martin Rees (TEDGlobal): Science may be running out of control

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The EDGE: Your Dangerous Idea from Digital Crusader
The Edge: What is your dangerous idea? 119 scientists, thinkers and famous people answer the question; there are some fasinating results. There are also tons of responses that I consider boring (e.g. almost every one which mentions religion - those... More...

Discuss Blog Post

Stein Leikanger – January 6 2006

It's interesting to note how different the quality of last year's responses is compared to the most recent selection.

Last year's question was brilliant: What do you believe is true, even if you can't prove it?

That opened up for great minds to deliver from the borders of knowledge. They were suddenly allowed to propose notions they would otherwise keep to themselves, for fear of being accused of wearing tinfoil hats.

This year's question doesn't mine that same vein of "things you would rather not discuss". The answers go from the banal to the incisive, and we're not as provoked or challenged or titillated as we were with last year's batch of responses.

Nonetheless, a good start to the year, compared to the drivel that passes for information and knowledge elsewhere!
Danny Boy – January 5 2006

Great site, extremely interesting. As a matter of fact I read Everything Bad and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was wondering what is on your coffee table now. I have just finished The Tipping Point and that may have been my best read ever. Freakonomics and Blink were great too. Any suggestions? You always steer your audience in the right direction. Again, great work. Happy New Year.