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  Self Comes to Mind -...

  Antonio Damasio

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  The arrival of neurons and their unique ability to transmit and receive messages was the radical break in the course of the human brain's evolution. This led to the development of the self. Neurons organize themselves in complex circuits and networks. Networks that serve to represent events occurring in the body, influence the function of other cells, even their own function. In this framework, the distinction between body and brain is blurred-the neurons that make up the brain and eventually generate the mind are body cells and are perpetually connected to the body. Neurons are the producers of mind states. The increasing complexity of the patterns in which neurons organize themselves is once the mystery and the clues to the myriad ways in which the brain operates, manages life, and controls human behavior-in ways that we are only beginning to understand. 
   
  The systems of neurons that govern life in the interior of a body-the process of homeostasis-are first assisted by reflex-like dispositions, eventually by images, which are the basic ingredient of minds. But the flexibility and creativity of the human mind do not emerge from images alone. They require images to create a protagonist; one's self that is capable of reflection. Once self comes to mind, the devices of reward and punishment, drives and motivations, and emotions, can be controlled by an autobiographical self. These devices, which have been present all along at earlier evolutionary stages, are now capable of personal reflection and deliberation. The reflective self uses expanded memory, language, and reasoning to create the very possibility of culture.

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  Houston We Have a Narrative -...

  Randy Olson

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  Ask a scientist about Hollywood, and you'll probably get eye rolls. But ask someone in Hollywood about science, and they'll see dollar signs: Moviemakers know that science can be the source of great stories, with all the drama and action that blockbusters require.That's a huge mistake, says Randy Olson: Hollywood has a lot to teach scientists about how to tell a story — and, ultimately, how to do science better. With Houston, We Have a Narrative, he lays out a stunningly simple method for turning the dull into the dramatic.Drawing on his unique background, which saw him leave his job as a working scientist to launch a career as a filmmaker, Olson first diagnoses the problem: When scientists tell us about their work, they pile one moment and one detail atop another moment and another detail — a stultifying procession of "and, and, and". What we need instead is an understanding of the basic elements of story, the narrative structures that our brains are all but hardwired to look for — which Olson boils down, brilliantly, to "And, But, Therefore", or ABT. At a stroke, the ABT approach introduces momentum ("And"), conflict ("But"), and resolution ("Therefore") — the fundamental building blocks of story.As Olson has demonstrated by leading countless workshops worldwide, when scientists' eyes are opened to ABT, the effect is staggering: Suddenly, they're not just talking about their work — they're telling stories about it. And audiences are captivated.Written with an uncommon verve and enthusiasm, and built on principles that are applicable to fields far beyond science, Houston, We Have a Narrative has the power to transform the way science is understood and appreciated, and ultimately how it's done.

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  The World After Capital

  Albert Wenger

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  Technological progress has fundamentally altered how humanity lives. 
  When we were foragers, food was scarce. During the Agrarian Age, it was land. Following the Industrial Revolution, capital became scarce. Now, digital technologies have shifted scarcity from capital to attention. Previous shifts have been marked by major crises including wars, famines and pandemics; our current resistance to change is resulting in the buildup of pressure such as the rise of militant nationalism, increased mass migration, and a growing mental health crisis. 
  The longer we ignore this by continuing to patch the Industrial Age system, the more we risk a horrific transition. We are dramatically under-allocating attention to threats such as the climate crisis, as well as opportunities such as fundamental research. 
  Thanks to the great success of capitalism, we are now able to address the scarcity of attention. But markets can’t be used to allocate attention because prices do not and cannot exist for the greatest problems facing humanity, which require our full attention. In order to free up human attention, we must urgently embrace the Knowledge Age. 
  The World After Capital, written by Venture Investor Albert Wenger, starts by exploring the unique nature of digital technology and how it differs radically from previous technologies. Wenger then provides the philosophical underpinnings for a transition from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age guided by humanism and its values. The World After Capital argues for a dramatic enhancement of economic freedom (through universal basic income), informational freedom (through shifting control of computation to network participants), and psychological freedom (through embracing mindfulness). 
  The World After Capital provides both a thesis of abstract ideas about the past and future, and actionable steps that each and every one of us can take starting today.

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  The Wasp That Brainwashed the...

  Matt Simon

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  The Wasp that Brainwashed the Caterpillar is an absurdist, comical romp through evolution's weirdest solutions to—appropriately enough—the hazards that evolution itself produces. Each original entry talks about a creature and its amazing adaptation, using Matt's signature blend of scientific accuracy and humor that has made his Wired column and accompanying web show so popular.  
  The creatures themselves are absolutely mind-blowing, with zombie ants mind-controlled by a fungus; beautiful salamanders that can regenerate any part of their bodies including their brains; the mantis shrimp, which fires its club-like appendage so fast that the surrounding water becomes as hot as the surface of the sun; the Antechinus, whose runaway testosterone levels cause them to have so much sex during their three-week mating session that they bleed internally, go blind, and drop dead; and many more.

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  Work in the Future - The...

  Robert Skidelsky, Nan Craig

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  This short, accessible book seeks to explore the future of work through the views and opinions of a range of expertise, encompassing economic, historical, technological, ethical, and anthropological aspects of the debate. The transition to an automated society brings with it new challenges and a consideration for what has happened in the past; the editors of this book carefully steer the listener through future possibilities and policy outcomes, all the while recognizing that while such a shift to a robotized society will be a gradual process, it is one that requires significant thought and consideration.

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  The Amazing Terrifying Future of...

  Jacob Appel

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  One Day University presents a series of audio lectures recorded in real-time from some of the top minds in the United States. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds of religion, government, literature, and social justice. The future of medicine is both amazing and terrifying. For the first time in human history, individual scientists and clinicians have the power to alter radically ways in which we live that were never before possible. Medical technology is advancing at unprecedented speeds—raising the prospect of personalized therapies and cures for diseases like cancer, but also concerns that legal standards and ethical norms have not kept pace with scientific "progress." This presentation explores some of the most exciting recent developments in medicine that promise to help us live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives, ranging from novel reproductive technologies and cutting edge immunotherapies to the harvesting of "big data" and the implementation of new systems of information exchange. We will also address both the ethical challenges that arise when these technologies work as promised, such as who should pay for a drug that costs $1.25 million per dose, and what safeguards, if any, exist for keeping these technologies away from those whose rogue actions could cause irreparable damage to us all. This audio lecture includes a supplemental PDF.

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