No matter how thoughtful, intelligent, well-informed, or open-minded you think you are, you’re wrong. Even if you are humble enough to admit what you don’t know, odds are you are still falling victim to a major cognitive fallacy that keeps you from having an accurate impression of reality. Cognitive fallacies are so common, they are…
Author: Edgar Wilson
War is hell. But for a few opportunistic and enterprising visionaries, it can also be a springboard to business success. Two of the biggest, bloodiest global conflicts in human history did more than rewrite maps and change the balance of international power — they provided the world with some of its most successful brands ever.…
Part of a majesty and grandeur of the American experiment is that no matter who you are or where you come from, with some hard work and determination, you can rise from nothing to become the head of a major criminal organization. Like baseball and apple pie, organized crime has been an American tradition ever…
Suppose that the U.S. federal government decided to declassify all recreational drugs: marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms–all those classics and more. What might happen next? Fortunately, between Prohibition (of alcohol), America’s long history with tobacco, and the recent progress of marijuana from hard drug, to medical substance, to recreational product in a growing number…
People are opinionated. The internet at times can seem little more than a maelstrom of porn, adverts, and outspoken viewpoints on everything from politics to fan fiction. Yet for all the multitudes of opinions swirling around in print and through word of mouth, we have yet to come up with a replicable, scientific, consistently reliable…
How is it possible that the world population is over seven billion, yet most of what we think we know about pregnancy we either learned from played-out sitcoms or children’s books talking about how every life is a “miracle?” If you didn’t know that the subject was pregnancy and overheard a doctor describing all the…
The tl;dr version: if a dog is cute, it is also probably miserable, and breeding is responsible for both. Way back in the day, all dogs were basically wolves. Researchers theorize that some of these wild dogs began following people around, and learned that in doing so they could score free food scraps and a…
Spoilers, obviously. The Pixar-Disney partnership has set box office records, won awards, and featured prominently in the childhoods of countless fans around the world. They’ve successfully crafted a formula to appeal to all ages as well as cashing in on merchandise, making anything bearing the “Pixar” label must-see viewing material and capitalist fodder. But for…
We all know the drill about self-improvement: drink water, eat better, exercise more, think positive, blah blah blah. Well, in between such Hallmark insider tips, there are a lot more practical, actionable ways you can bring yourself closer to your ideal life, and they aren’t the same, tired old advice you’ve seen on a thousand…
If you’ve ever asked your English teacher, “Can I go to the bathroom?” you know the difference between permission and capability. When it comes to women pursuing athletics, both are systematically denied. Like a sock clinging to the inside of a sweater, society has a static bond to certain ideas about gender, entertainment, good clean…
No matter how thoughtful, intelligent, well-informed, or open-minded you think you are, you’re wrong. Even if you are humble enough to admit what you don’t know, odds are you are still falling victim to a major cognitive fallacy that keeps you from having an accurate impression of reality. Cognitive fallacies are so common, they are…
Neurologists may talk a big game, but the reality is that our understanding of the human brain is still in its infancy. Even with our limited knowledge, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that the mind—all of the thoughts, emotions, ideas, and cognitive abstractions that exist within the brain—plays a much bigger and more direct role…
Suspension of disbelief is critical to creating movie magic. You can’t escape into a movie when the special effects, writing, or acting constantly remind you that what you are seeing was manufactured. But even when all these critical elements align, the camera itself can still shatter the illusion by calling attention to the fact that…
Meteors. Zombies. Nuclear War. Contagion. Whatever form it takes, you’ll know it is The Big One when it knocks out our infrastructure and renders all our bank accounts, credit cards, and whatever cold hard cash we are sitting on utterly meaningless. That’s because a fiat currency—paper money, ones and zeroes, or any other medium of exchange…
Despite a long record as the most favorably viewed branch of government, America’s judiciary has an equally long history of dynamic controversy. While presidents and members of Congress do their best to hog the spotlight—and the headlines of tabloids—the highest court in the country has still managed to capture the public’s attention, inspire indignation, and…
Physically, prisons are generally designed to keep people in. Operationally, however, everything that takes place inside a prison is designed to get people back out. Considering that, in the United States, 95% of all prisoners will eventually be released, it makes some amount of sense to invest a little in enabling this population to stay…
There’s a fine line between addictive and compulsive behavior. For a long time, drugs and alcohol were the mainstays of addiction, until neurologists and psychologists learned that the chemical signals activated in the brain during certain activities—sex and gambling are the popular examples—could make behaviors potentially as addictive as consuming those legendary substances. But outside…
While shark attacks, sinkholes, plane crashes, and other “Act of God” insurance nightmares get all the glory of media coverage, there are plenty of other events that account for at least as much—if not more—a share of injuries and deaths. They may not be glamorous or worthy of silver screen treatment, but as causes of…
Fair warning, loyal cinema fans who haven’t yet read the book: SPOILERS ABOUND BELOW. Author Suzanne Collins has pretty well spelled out that Panem, the fictional setting of her Hunger Games novels-turned-blockbusters, is a post-apocalyptic North America. And while penning the stories might make her an authority on these matters, a little between-the-lines reading makes it…
Healthcare is always a hot button issue. Some people have it, some can’t afford it, but everyone needs it. So it becomes a little crazy to think that, astonishingly, your beloved, furry, little pets might be getting better medical treatment than you. How does that happen, exactly? Well, since you asked… 10. Vets Make Fewer Referrals…
Recycling is a key item on the checklist of anyone looking to boost his or her “green” credentials. The trouble is, whether you’re casually segregating glass from rubbish, or actively trying to support your local initiative by militantly hoarding plastic and shaming anyone who isn’t worried about landfill capacity, you’re probably getting recycling wrong. But…
Charitable giving isn’t just about sharing wealth or the personal possessions you’ve accumulated. Turns out, the most valuable contributions you can make to the less fortunate don’t hinge on your ability to earn, save, or give money generously—in fact, money would be a poor substitute for the things people really need from you. Below are…
Everyone loves to bag on the federal government. They’re an easy target, and never seem to run out of ways to enrage the citizenry they’re supposed to represent. In between the angry letters, conspiracy theories, and late night comedy sketches, though, are a few gems of public administration that show, on occasion, the government does…
War is hell. But for a few opportunistic and enterprising visionaries, it can also be a springboard to business success. Two of the biggest, bloodiest global conflicts in human history did more than rewrite maps and change the balance of international power — they provided the world with some of its most successful brands ever.…