The mirror crack’d

The media is supposed to hold a mirror up to society, but when large groups of people no longer share the same reality, debate becomes impossible and life begins to fall apart.

The ancient roots of modern ennui

The loneliness, moral confusion and ennui reported by many young people today may stem from a fundamental mismatch between modern society and human psychological traits which evolved to fit very different conditions.

In praise of boredom

Boredom isn’t a problem to escape with another scroll on our phones but a precious opportunity to create the mental space we need to wrestle with life’s deeper questions of meaning, imagination and purpose.

Unsocial media

Far from bringing people closer together, the algorithims which drive engagement on social media have antagonised and fractured society and undermined respect for truth.

Controlling AI

Technology can and does shape society, but society can also shape technology. We are still able to formulate the path AI should take in order to produce the best outcome for humanity.

Another Earth?

The search for alien life in our galaxy – and UFOs in our skies – is a constant source of intrigue and discussion, and while the more lurid tales of visitation may be dismissed, the chances of finding life out there appear to be increasing.

Deep thought

The release of a highly capable cut-price Chinese AI system has rocked the Western AI companies which saw themselves as the disrupters of the global economy, but more fundamental problems with AI itself remain.

Delving into dementia

Dementia affects nearly 60 million people around the world, and air pollution is emerging as a major contributing factor to this global scourge.

Artificial selection

The replacement of Darwinian natural selection by intelligent design could become a reality in our lifetimes through genetic engineering, the augmentation of people with machines and even the creation of sentient inorganic silicon-based life itself.

Beware the gadget

Our obsession with social media and non-stop immersion in our mobile phones are isolating us off from real human interaction, prompting calls for young people to be protected.

Fire, flints and fiction

Fiction remains one of humanities greatest inventions and we seem to need stories in our lives not only to explain the mysteries of existence but to enhance the fact of existence.

Mental aberrations

Humans are interacting more than ever with artificial intelligence and this technology is not only changing how humans relate with it but also with each other.