Bacon Knew: AI Is More Optimistic About AGI Than You Are
A Sep 2026 study found 7 AI models rate AGI's future more optimistically than 337 humans do. Discover what Bacon's 1620 'false mirror' already explained.
Wisdom
137 articles - Timeless insights from great thinkers
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Tocqueville Knew: Loving Democracy Isn't Enough
A 2026 study of 5,951 voters found loving democracy barely stops backsliding — commitment to specific institutions does. Discover why partisanship still wins.
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James Knew: Unfelt Disgust Still Votes
A 2026 study of 632 US adults found disgust predicts conservatism most in people unaware of their own heartbeat. Discover James's 1884 theory of feeling.
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Noelle-Neumann Knew: Silence Was Never Neutral
A Science Advances field experiment on 520 Reddit debaters found toxicity silences moderates but fuels power users. Discover Noelle-Neumann's 1974 warning.
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Goffman Knew: Your Gaze Was a Performance
A Sep 24, 2026 eye-tracking study found followers who hold eye contact while speaking get rated more conscientious. Discover what Goffman named in 1959.
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McLuhan Knew: The Medium Is the Message
A 2026 study of 1,966 adults found texting predicts higher life satisfaction, but TikTok and YouTube predict lower. Discover what McLuhan called this in 1964.
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Aristotle Knew: Fortune Gets Under the Skin
A 2026 RCT found $333/month cash gifts slowed low-income children's biological aging. Discover what Aristotle argued about virtue, fortune, and flourishing.
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Durkheim Knew: Anger Alone Never Fills a Street
A 181-study meta-analysis found grievances barely predict who protests — social ties do. Learn what Durkheim argued about collective action in 1912.
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Weber Knew: More Wifi Means Less Worship
A 2026 study of 81 countries links internet growth to religious decline. Discover how Max Weber's 1917 disenchantment thesis explains the mechanism.
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Beauvoir Knew: Mankeeping Was Always Her Job
A 2026 Sex Roles study validated a 46-item 'Mankeeping Scale' measuring women's unpaid labor on men's friendships. Discover what Beauvoir named back in 1949.
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Buber Knew: Why Your AI Friend Can't Say Thou
A 2026 study found AI chatbots boost mental health while shrinking desire for real relationships. Discover why Buber said that trade-off was never optional.
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Hume Knew: Sympathy Can Go Numb
A 2026 study found beer left emotion-reading intact but cut willingness to help. Discover how Hume's 1739 theory of sympathy predicted exactly this split.