This Idea Is Brilliant: Lost, Overlooked, and Underappreciated Scientific Concepts Everyone Should Know

This Idea Is Brilliant: Lost, Overlooked, and Underappreciated Scientific Concepts Everyone Should Know

Author: Airwave Literature December 8, 2020 Duration: 16:12:21
by John Brockman—The latest volume in the bestselling series from Edge.org—dubbed “the world’s smartest website” by The Guardian—brings together 206 of the world’s most innovative thinkers to discuss the scientific concepts that everyone should know.As science informs public policy, decision making, and so many aspects of our everyday lives, a scientifically literate society is crucial. In that spirit, Edge.org publisher and author of Know This, John Brockman, asks 206 of the world’s most brilliant minds the 2017 Edge Question: What scientific term or concept ought to be more widely known?Contributors include: author of The God Delusion RICHARD DAWKINS on using animals’ “Genetic Book of the Dead” to reconstruct ecological history; MacArthur Fellow REBECCA NEWBERGER GOLDSTEIN on “scientific realism,” the idea that scientific theories explain phenomena beyond what we can see and touch; author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics CARLO ROVELLI on “relative information,” which governs the physical world around us; theoretical physicist LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS on the hidden blessings of “uncertainty”; cognitive scientist and author of The Language Instinct STEVEN PINKER on “The Second Law of Thermodynamics”; biogerontologist AUBREY DE GREY on why “maladaptive traits” have been conserved evolutionarily; musician BRIAN ENO on “confirmation bias” in the internet age; Man Booker-winning author of Atonement IAN MCEWAN on the “Navier-Stokes Equations,” which govern everything from weather prediction to aircraft design and blood flow; plus pieces from RICHARD THALER, JARED DIAMOND, NICHOLAS CARR, JANNA LEVIN, LISA RANDALL, KEVIN KELLY, DANIEL COLEMAN, FRANK WILCZEK, RORY SUTHERLAND, NINA JABLONSKI, MARTIN REES, ALISON GOPNIK, and many, many others.

Warren Buffett’s idea that reading is the ultimate level playing field is where this conversation begins. The Bookshelf: Business & Self-Improvement, from Airwave Literature, isn’t about quick tips or hype. Instead, it’s a quiet, thoughtful space dedicated to the books that shape how we think about work, leadership, and personal growth. Each episode takes a single title-whether a timeless classic or a contemporary analysis-and unpacks its core ideas, not just summarizing but exploring how its lessons apply to real decisions and challenges. You’ll hear the host reflect on key passages, connect themes across different authors, and consider the practical implications of what’s on the page. The tone is more like a guided reading session than a lecture, designed for anyone who believes that deep understanding comes from engaging seriously with good writing. This podcast operates on the belief that the right book, properly considered, can change a mindset or a method. It’s for listeners who want to move beyond the headlines and dig into the substance that fuels lasting improvement, making your reading time more focused and impactful. Tune in to fill your own shelf with ideas that matter.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Bookshelf: Business & Self-Improvement
Podcast Episodes
Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:47:27
by Jim Collins—A companion guidebook to the number-one bestselling Good to Great, focused on implementation of the flywheel concept, one of Jim Collins’ most memorable ideas that has been used across industries and the s…
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:16:42
by James C. Collins—"This is not a book about charismatic visionary leaders. It is not about visionary product concepts or visionary products or visionary market insights. Nor is it about just having a corporate vision.…
Who: The A Method for Hiring [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:48:20
by Geoff Smart—In this instant New York Times Bestseller, Geoff Smart and Randy Street provide a simple, practical, and effective solution to what The Economist calls "the single biggest problem in business today" unsucc…
Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:24:43
by Clayton M. Christensen—The foremost authority on innovation and growth presents a path-breaking book every company needs to transform innovation from a game of chance to one in which they develop products and services…
Thinking in Systems: A Primer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:26:17
by Donella H. Meadows—Meadows’ Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wri…
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:50:29
by Brian Christian—A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mindAl…