ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

IDEAS

Time To Rethink The Meaning Of Indigenous?

Today, nearly half a billion people qualify as Indigenous. If they were a single country, it would be the world’s third most populous, behind China and India. Exactly who counts as Indigenous, however, is far from clear. - The New Yorker

Conspiracy Theories: Toxic Influence Or The Price Of Democracy?

If great masses of people maintain a certain belief over long periods of time, one can be fairly sure that there is something in it. This doesn’t mean that the belief in question is true, but it’s unlikely to be complete nonsense either. Myths tend to have a core of truth. - Unherd

Ireland Is Having A Really Good Film Moment

Another moment, that is. This certainly isn't the first go-round. Best Supporting Actress nominee Kerry Condon: "My friend at home was like, ‘Everybody’s celebrating like crazy. It’s like they’ve won the World Cup.’"- Los Angeles Times

Bing Was Nearly Irrelevant – Until Its Chatbot Went Off The Rails

"The company’s previously flatlining Bing app almost surpassed Google in downloads last Saturday, and search interest in Bing is spiking. The astonishing screenshots—as long as they stay within reasonable bounds—will likely bolster the surge. They’re great marketing." - Slate

How The Mythologies Of UFOs Color Our View Of Government

A recent edited collection of essays by leading ufologists notes that, some seventy-five years after the alleged Roswell crash, we arguably know no more than we did then: “The UFO field has produced thousands of dedicated researchers over the years, and reams of literature; but to what end? - The Walrus

The Limitations Of Our One-Dimensional Schooling

In the consumerist world, the difference between true and false needs vanishes—we become convinced that ultimate fulfillment can be found in our next luxury purchase or mass-market commodity, and when it inevitably fails to deliver, we seek out another. - The Point

How Google Lost Its Creative Edge

Google was incredibly insecure—always was, and still is. The company, which had toppled a market leader by building better technology, is haunted by the fear of being pushed aside itself. - The Atlantic

The Case For Everything-Is-Math

The mathematics that's all around us, after all, doesn't come to us smoothly, in neatly formed themes or topics or packages. It's not separated into ascending levels of difficulty. It's not necessarily chronological, certainly not alphabetical, never orderly. - Shaastra

The Culture Battle Over Snark And Superficial Knowingness

The current state of public discourse, if it’s even worthy of that name, is a strange fusion where smarm and snark wrestle and embrace one another in vicious shadowy vacuums. It is less clear than ever which side is winning. - LitHub

Pondering Self-Identification Of Race

I wanted to know what percent of all Americans change their race over the span of the panel, what percent of Americans who initially identify as white change their race, what percent of initial Black Americans do so, and so on. - Psyche

Rise Of The Intellectual Influencer Economy

As higher education continues to over-produce PhDs, many have sought an alternative path. This is a new niche of the online info-tainment ecosystem. These intellectual influencers produce content for an audience that they hope will embrace and financially support their work. - 3 Quarks Daily

AI Chatbots Will Extend Human Creativity, Not Replace It

There will always be a need for genuine community and human connection, which can be aided by tools like this. We see chatbots being used in fun and innovative ways to complement community and human connection — not replace it.” - The Verge

The Psychology Behind The So-Called Worst Super Bowl Ads

"Many Super Bowl ads aren’t actually trying to be good. They’re just out to shock us awake, to sizzle our brains, to spike our dopamine. And in this effort, a bad ad can serve quite well—especially if it’s truly, exponentially, off-the-charts bad." - Slate

Of Institutions And Colonialism

It is hard to think of any human institution enduring for centuries of which it can seriously be said it was all good or all bad. If the British Empire was all bad, then it stands almost unique in the three millennia of recorded human barbarism. - Literary Review

We’re Learning Lots About How Brains Work. Here Are Three Misconceptions

From the myth that humans only use 10 percent of their brain to the idea that creativity and logic is a "right-brained" versus "left-brained" issue, there are many popular misconceptions about neuroscience that have wormed their way into public consciousness. - Salon

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