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THE END IS WHERE WE START FROM

Joan Westinberg argues that the death of critical thinking will kill us long before AI. I think she’s right that we sorely need to (re)cultivate the ability to think and read more deeply.

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THE WORTH OF LIFE IS AT STAKE

Alfred North Whitehead, writing in 1939:
Today we are witnessing a relapse into barbarism. The tendency touches every country.

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CREATING A SELF AND WORLD THROUGH READING

Nicole Chung:
When I consume memoir, I love watching a writer bring everything they have learned and experienced to a point of discovery, surprise, or change.

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HOPE IN TIMES OF DESPAIR

Bertrand Russell, writing in 1956:
But I remain convinced, whatever dark times may lie before us, that mankind will emerge, that the habit of mutual forbearance, which now seems lost, will be recovered, and that the reign of brutal violence will not last forever.

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THE BURDEN OF ADVERTISING

Scott Russell Sanders:
…ubiquitous merchandizing affects more than our buying habits. It monopolizes our attention. It trains us to think of ourselves as consumers, defined by our purchases and possessions, rather than as citizens, defined by our membership in communities.

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THE WONDER OF A CHILD

Rachel Carson:
A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.

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