Big Ideas
In this series, Smithsonian.com interviews visionaries in the fields of science, art, history and culture, asking them about their big idea that will change the way we view our world
Should the Constitution Be Scrapped?
In a new book, Louis Michael Seidman claims that arguing about the constitutionality of laws and reforms is the cause of our harsh political discourse
February 05, 2013 |
By Amy Crawford
How Politics Has Changed Modern-Day Sports
Sportswriter Dave Zirin counts the ways that political issues have infiltrated sports at every level
February 01, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Big Data Has Changed Dating
What it means to be single and looking for love in the time of algorithms
January 29, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Why Are Superachievers So Successful?
Two authors spoke to dozens of the highest-achieving people in the world. Here’s what they learned
January 15, 2013 |
By Amy Crawford
What Traditional Societies Can Teach You About Life
A new book from best-selling author Jared Diamond tells us how we can learn a lot from people who live like most of us did 11,000 years ago
December 26, 2012 |
By Amy Crawford
Are You Smarter Than Your Grandfather? Probably Not.
Senility isn’t the answer; IQ scores are increasing with each generation. In a new book, political scientist James Flynn explains why
December 03, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
The Pros to Being a Psychopath
In a new book, Oxford research psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that psychopaths are poised to perform well under pressure
October 29, 2012 |
By Amy Crawford
Why School Should Be More Like Summer Camp
Salman Khan, a rising star in the education world, has a vision for a new kind of classroom
October 01, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Who Needs a Boss When You Have Your Co-Workers?
In a new book, Steven Johnson encourages us to lose top-down hierarchies, typical of companies, and instead organize around peer networks
September 25, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
It’s a Woman’s World With the End of Men
Men are floundering in the 21st century, according to Hanna Rosin, and the shift has wide-ranging implications for the workplace and the home
September 11, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
What's the Perfect Book to Get Over a Breakup?
Alain de Botton has provided a valuable service: giving reading prescriptions for a "shelf-help" approach to everyday problems
September 10, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Looking to Animals Can Improve Human Medicine
In a new book, UCLA cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz reminds us that humans are animals too. Now, if only other doctors could think that way
August 28, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Would You Rank the Greatest Presidents?
In a new book, political junkie Robert W. Merry shares his three-part test
August 13, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Why Procrastination is Good for You
In a new book, University of San Diego professor Frank Partnoy argues that the key to success is waiting for the last possible moment to make a decision
July 13, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Nerd Love and Why It's Better For Everyone
In a new study, evolutionary biologist Sergey Gavrilets makes a fascinating claim for how monogamy took root several million years ago
July 06, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Trees Defined America
Historian Erik Rutkow argues in a new book that forests are key to understanding how our nation developed and who we are today
June 14, 2012 |
By Amy Crawford
How Humans Became Moral Beings
In a new book, anthropologist Christopher Boehm traces the steps our species went through to attain a conscience
May 04, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Plants and Animals Can Prepare Us for the Next Big Disaster
Author Rafe Sagarin looks to the natural world for tips on how to plan for national emergencies
April 03, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
