Featuring a foreword by David Brooks, This Will Make You Smarter presents brilliant—but accessible—ideas to expand every mind.

What scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit? This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to the world’s most influential thinkers. Their visionary answers flow from the frontiers of psychology, philosophy, economics, physics, sociology, and more. Surprising and enlightening, these insights will revolutionize the way you think about yourself and the world.

Contributors

Daniel Kahneman on the “focusing illusion”

Jonah Lehrer on controlling attention

Richard Dawkins on experimentation

Aubrey De Grey on conquering our fear of the unknown

Martin Seligman on the ingredients of well-being

Nicholas Carr on managing “cognitive load”

Steven Pinker on win-win negotiating

Daniel Goleman on understanding our connection to the natural world

Matt Ridley on tapping collective intelligence

Lisa Randall on effective theorizing

Brian Eno on “ecological vision”

J. Craig Venter on the multiple possible origins of life  

Helen Fisher on temperament

Sam Harris on the flow of thought

Lawrence Krauss on living with uncertainty