Mark ThorntonThe Democratisation of RealityWe all agree on what’s real, right?Dec 20, 2019Dec 20, 2019
Mark ThorntonDefeating the TechnosphereOne superpower of our species is the ability to quickly adapt to technological breakthroughs. We invent things, make them widely available…Dec 5, 2019Dec 5, 2019
Mark ThorntonThe Cult of the ManuscriptSimon Keys, writing in The New York Review of Books in 1997, observed “The closer a book comes to being a genuine work of art…the less…Oct 14, 2019Oct 14, 2019
Mark ThorntonTorschlusspanik and the Mantra of Plenty of Time“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan…and not quite enough time.” — Leonard BernsteinOct 8, 2019Oct 8, 2019
Mark ThorntonThe Creepy Internet“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”…Oct 3, 2019Oct 3, 2019
Mark ThorntonHow Stories Change the World“Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.” — Hannah ArendtSep 30, 2019Sep 30, 2019
Mark ThorntonUpThinking Super Wicked ProblemsIn 1969, two professors from the University of California, Berkeley gave a presentation in which they pondered a dilemma: in the wake of…Sep 29, 2019Sep 29, 2019
Mark ThorntonUpThinking The Quantum SelfThe world of the atom (the quantum world) is a truly bizarre place. Except it’s not. Just as the seemingly impenetrable language and…Sep 26, 2019Sep 26, 2019
Mark ThorntonUpthinking paradoxI found it maddening: you discover some quote, or piece of wisdom, or ‘rule’ to latch onto. In the chaos of life, and the cacophony of…Sep 16, 2019Sep 16, 2019
Mark ThorntonUpthinking prioritiesEver since Enrico Fermi sat in a canteen and asked “Where Is Everyone?”, a branch of research — part science, part philosophy — has…Sep 11, 2019Sep 11, 2019