“No matter what a computer can do, human thought is something else,” Sherry Turkle wrote while contemplating the human spirit in a computer culture. “A being that is not born of a mother, that does not feel the vulnerability of childhood, a being that does not know sexuality or anticipate death, this being is alien.” … Read more
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep,” Robert Frost wrote while contemplating the power of perseverance. The author of “War and Peace” and one of the greatest international writers, Leo Tolstoy (September 9, 1828-November 20, 1920), complements these lines with a much-needed practical advice, included in his timeless … Read more
. Recent news headlines reminded me of a study suggesting that up to 21% of CEOs may be psychopaths. The disturbing statistic comes from research by Katarina Fritzon, a professor at Australia’s Bond University, and her then-graduate student, Nathan Brooks. Their 2016 paper, “Psychopathic personality characteristics amongst high functioning populations,” published in Crime Psychology Review, … Read more
. “The Elements of Style,” hailed by many as “the most important and timeless book on writing,” argues that good writing rests on three principles: purity, perspicuity, and precision. George Orwell (June 25, 1903–January 21, 1950) echoed this belief. In his altogether indispensable “Politics and the English Language,” he writes: “Political language — and with … Read more