The Beginning
Science
Your Brain Is Not for Thinking
Five hundred million years ago, a tiny sea creature changed the course of history: It became the first predator. It somehow sensed the presence of another creature nearby, propelled or wiggled its way over, and deliberately ate it. This new activity of hunting started an evolutionary arms race.
How close is too close?
Trust, space and distance are related - we feel 'close' to the people we trust and acts of betrayal creates 'distance.' Heini Hediger, a noted 20th-century Swiss biologist and zoo director, knew that animals ran away when they felt unsafe. But when he set about designing and building zoos himself, he realised he needed a more precise understanding of how animals behaved when put in proximity to one another.
Highlight
How to Save Democracy From Technology
Among the many transformations taking place in the U.S. economy, none is more salient than the growth of gigantic Internet platforms. It's a grudge fight for Francis Fukuyama, famous for his 'End of History' thesis, since tech platforms are the terrain on which the battle against liberal democracy is being fought worldwide.
The End
Technologies of Trust
Money is a technology of trust - we have created a massive system based on the assurance that when I press 'pay' on my screen, a widget gets produced in China and delivered to my doorstep.
Of course, technologies of trust can be perverted - it's precisely because the capitalist economy 'works' that some people can accumulate a lot more than others. Our best instincts can often be the Trojan horse for our worst instincts.