How Do Human Activities Affect the Environment?

How Do Human Activities Affect the Environment?

How do human activities affect the environment? Which is more harmful—farms or cities? What’s the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? The human race has left a mark on our planet, sometimes through carelessness and sometimes by design. In The World Without Us, science journalist Alan Weisman outlines several ways that humanity impacts the environment: agriculture, cities, power, waste, and pollution. Keep reading to learn about the human ecological footprint.

11 Think and Grow Rich Exercises: An Antidote to Hard Times

11 Think and Grow Rich Exercises: An Antidote to Hard Times

Are your thoughts leading you in directions that you truly want to go? What do you wish you could replace your fears with? Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is a classic guide to success. First published in 1937, following the Great Depression, the book was immediately welcomed as an antidote to hard times and remained a bestseller for decades. Continue reading to find several Think and Grow Rich exercises that will help you understand and apply the book’s ideas.

Steven Koonin: Climate Science Needs a Serious Overhaul

Steven Koonin: Climate Science Needs a Serious Overhaul

Is the state of climate science worse than the state of the climate itself? How could it be made more useful? According to Steven Koonin, climate science is in big trouble. He argues that climate science is frequently misconstrued, and he attempts to diagnose the root of this problem and propose a remedy. Continue reading to learn Koonin’s suggestions for repairing climate science.

Is Language Innate? Steven Pinker on the Innatist Theory

Is Language Innate? Steven Pinker on the Innatist Theory

Is language innate, or do we learn it from our environment? Is grammar universal? What clues do certain medical conditions give us? Steven Pinker argues in favor of the innatist theory, arguing that language is an innate, biological ability in humans. He contends that, just like the chameleon’s ability to camouflage itself or the falcon’s high-speed flight, the ability to produce and interpret complex language is an evolved human superpower. Read more to learn why Pinker believes that language is not just an element of human culture that gets passed from person to person.

The Law of the Mirror: John Maxwell’s Philosophy of Self-Worth

The Law of the Mirror: John Maxwell’s Philosophy of Self-Worth

What’s the Law of the Mirror? How can it help you grow as a person? The Law of the Mirror, John Maxwell says, is that you can’t add value to yourself until you see value in yourself. In other words, self-worth can help you achieve personal growth. He provides advice on how you can learn to see value in yourself more. Keep reading to learn about the Law of the Mirror and how it can help you grow.

How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires

How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires

Would you like to be more open-minded and objective? Do you value truth above all? In The Second Mountain, David Brooks argues that the relationalist approach (the “second mountain” he endorses) requires a commitment to the intellectual life. It’s the pathway, he says, to our highest desires. Continue reading to learn how intellectual pursuits lead you upward and onward.

3 Things Innovative Organizations Have in Common

3 Things Innovative Organizations Have in Common

What do innovative organizations have in common? How can you set your company up for breakthroughs? The authors of The Innovator’s DNA identify five behaviors and skills shared by the top innovators. Then, they explain how to drive meaningful change by embedding these behaviors and skills into your organization. They address team makeup and structure, workflows, and mindset. Keep reading to learn what innovative organizations have in common, and see how you can count your company among them by doing what they do.

Getting Real: Doable Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Proposals

Getting Real: Doable Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Proposals

How should we deal with climate change and its impact? What’s actually realistic? Because of the distortion of climate science, Steven E. Koonin argues that many governments have endorsed impractical responses to climate change. In his book Unsettled, he proposes alternative responses to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its effects. Continue reading to learn Koonin’s practical climate mitigation and adaptation proposals.

The Law of Awareness: To Grow Yourself You Must Know Yourself

The Law of Awareness: To Grow Yourself You Must Know Yourself

What’s the Law of Awareness? How can it help you grow and reach your potential? The Law of Awareness states that to grow yourself, you must know yourself. John Maxwell defines self-awareness and explains how it can help you achieve personal growth. He also recommends a brainstorming activity you can do to improve your self-awareness. Keep reading to learn about Maxwell’s Law of Awareness.

Factfulness Questions to Challenge Your Knowledge & Thinking

Factfulness Questions to Challenge Your Knowledge & Thinking

Do you have a good handle on the state of the world? Are things worse than ever? By almost any measure, there’s never been a better time to be alive than right now. That’s the belief of Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. Their book Factfulness explores the misconceptions that color our view of the world. Continue reading for several Factfulness questions that will test your knowledge and adjust your thinking.