Following Eric Weinstein’s interview on how String Theory culture has stifled innovation in theoretical physics, longstanding critic of String Theory, Peter Woit, takes aim at the theory itself. He argues that String Theory has become a degenerative …
One year on, the war in Ukraine continues to dominate the headlines. As Putin continues to admonish NATO’s thirst for expansion, and Western leaders maintain their support for their Ukrainian counterparts perhaps the most important question is what are …
Japan’s ageing population problem might be the worse in the world, but it’s one that all developed economies are facing. The problem seems so intractable that Yale economist Yusuke Narita’s suggestion that the elderly commit mass suicide made international …
Should we forcibly harvest a man’s organs to save five people? Should we plug the whole of the humanity into a machine that could ensure the maximal amount of aggregate pleasure if we could? Are we obligated to save a child drowning in a pond? These are …
There is a psychedelic revolution happening. An increasing number of studies are promising a transformation of mental health through their controlled use. What is still unclear is what exactly the nature of that psychedelic experience is, and what makes it …
String Theory has been the dominant candidate for a ‘theory of everything’ for decades. But Eric Weinstein thinks its dominance is unjustified and has resulted in a culture that has stifled critique, alternative views, and ultimately has damaged …
New data from the Dark Energy Survey and South Pole Telescope suggest that the universe is less ‘clumpy’ than the standard cosmological model predicts. This has triggered speculation about new forces and insights into the nature of dark matter and dark …
If future Artificial Intelligence were to develop sufficiently, it’s not unlikely that it would begin to question what humans have wondered for years: can AI really acquire consciousness? In this fictional dialogue between an AI and its therapist, Keith …
For most, it seems obvious that we should be logical and rational in the way that we construct our worldview. By ridding ourselves of fallacious thinking and bad arguments, we should be able to chart a better pathway forward for us all. But we must keep …
We often think of the scientific revolution as having displaced a belief in magic, the supernatural, and the occult. But paying a closer look at premodern writings on magic, we find that they explicitly reject the supernatural. What is more, the key …
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World provided a map for a world of sex where technology was used to increase our pleasure and mechanise our relationships. But as the dystopia suggested this divorces us from engaging with our partners and focusing on the pure …
The cosmic inflation hypothesis is needed for the Big Bang model to work, but in its current form, it remains a mere hypothesis, unable to be falsified. A new proposal for how it could be put to the test could result in overthrowing the Big Bang model …
Join Cass Sunstein for an IAI LIVE event this Monday, February 6th, exploring the causes of inflation and the economic crisis, alongside a stellar line-up of Peter Schiff, Gillian Tett, Carmen Reinhart and Brad De Long. Book your place now. Just over 10 …
The problem of consciousness hangs over both science and philosophy like a bad smell. Nobody is sure what to do with it. The problem of consciousness makes everything uncertain and unclear. In this article, Riccardo Manzotti offers us an ingeniously simple …
We live in a world where our attention is constantly being pulled this way and that. Multitasking is now considered a virtue, and as a result we seem to be starving ourselves of truly rich and immersive experiences. In this article, Tom Cochrane argues …
One of the most useful metaphors for driving scientific and engineering progress has been that of the “machine.” But in light of our increased understanding of biology, evolution, intelligence, and engineering we must re-examine the life-as-machine …
How do countries win wars? Better strategy, superior firepower, and leaders’ resolve are obviously all key. However, there is one crucial aspect that is often overlooked/ argues Jacob Ware. Superior morale, whilst seemingly intangible, has been the …
“Who is Andrew Tate?” was one of the most Googled searches in 2022. A kickboxer turned social media personality whose online videos on TikTok alone have amassed 11 billion views, keeps making references to “The Matrix”. The appearance-reality distinction …
There is a paradox for crypto researchers, its touted as the best new investment where you can make 100 times your contribution. And whilst some large firms and investors have entered the market the majority are uninitiated retail investors betting big …
From Aristotle’s proclamation that ‘there is no great genius without some touch of madness’, to stories of great artists going crazy, many are still transfixed by the idea that brilliance requires a touch of insanity. But this is not so argues Psychology …
