| Preface: The Annual Edge Question |
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xiv | |
| Acknowledgments |
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xvi | |
| Introduction |
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xvii | |
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1 | (1) |
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Our Species Can Unravel Mysteries |
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1 | (1) |
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Good Choices Sometimes Prevail |
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2 | (1) |
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2 | (4) |
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6 | (2) |
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8 | (1) |
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We Are Making Moral Progress |
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9 | (5) |
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The Unending Stream of Bad News is Itself Flawed |
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14 | (2) |
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Techno-Optimism and the Energy Challenge |
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16 | (3) |
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The Divide Between Scientific Thinking and the Rest of Our Culture Is Decreasing |
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19 | (2) |
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The Evaporation of the Powerful Mystique of Religion |
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21 | (3) |
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A Proper Scientific Understanding of Irrationality (and Religion in Particular) |
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24 | (3) |
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The Final Scientific Enlightenment |
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27 | (1) |
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Science and the Decline of Magic |
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28 | (3) |
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31 | (3) |
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Evidence-Based Decision Making Will Transform Society |
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34 | (2) |
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Human Beings Are Different from Their Ancestral Species |
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36 | (1) |
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The Future of Science, Religion, and Technology |
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37 | (2) |
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Going Beyond Our Darwinian Roots |
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39 | (1) |
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39 | (3) |
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The War Between Science and Religion Will See New Light |
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42 | (1) |
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43 | (4) |
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A New Tool Leading Us Toward a Deep Understanding of Human Nature |
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47 | (2) |
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Sometime in the 21st Century I Will Understand 20th-Century Physics |
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49 | (2) |
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The Future of String Theory |
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51 | (2) |
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Renewal of Science for the Public Good |
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53 | (1) |
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54 | (5) |
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Physics Will Not Achieve a Theory of Everything |
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59 | (3) |
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62 | (4) |
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The Return of the Discipline of Experiment Will Transform Our Knowledge of Fundamental Physics |
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66 | (2) |
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People Will Increasingly Value Truth (over Truthiness) |
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68 | (1) |
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Physics Will Flourish Once More |
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69 | (1) |
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The Optimism of Scientists |
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70 | (2) |
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What Lies Beyond Our Cosmic Horizon? |
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72 | (2) |
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We're Not Insignificant After All |
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74 | (3) |
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Coraggio, Domani Sara Peggio! |
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77 | (4) |
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Progress Is Surprisingly Durable |
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81 | (2) |
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83 | (2) |
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The Women of the 110th Congress |
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85 | (3) |
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The Zombie Concept of Identity |
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88 | (3) |
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Us/Them Dichotomies Will Become Far More Benign |
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91 | (2) |
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Multilingualism in Europe |
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93 | (2) |
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We Have the Ability to Understand One Another |
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95 | (3) |
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How Technology Is Saving the World |
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98 | (5) |
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Neuroscience Will Improve Our Society |
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103 | (1) |
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104 | (3) |
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The Globalization of Higher Education |
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107 | (4) |
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The Power of Educated People to Make Important Innovations |
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111 | (2) |
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113 | (2) |
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We Will Overcome Agnotology (the Cultural Production of Ignorance) |
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115 | (2) |
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The Major Climate Makeover |
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117 | (6) |
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Optimism Has a Bright Future |
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123 | (2) |
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125 | (4) |
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The Return of Commercial Sailing Vessels |
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129 | (1) |
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130 | (3) |
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A New, Environmentally Sustainable Worldview |
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133 | (2) |
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PCT Allows Individuals to Address a Global Problem |
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135 | (2) |
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The Challenge Presented by Peak Oil |
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137 | (4) |
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141 | (2) |
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The Shifting Ratio of Benefit and Cost |
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143 | (3) |
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The Sunlight-Powered Future |
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146 | (2) |
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The Coming Solar Power Boom |
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148 | (3) |
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice |
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151 | (2) |
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153 | (2) |
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We Will Embrace the Reality of Progress |
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155 | (3) |
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158 | (2) |
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New Children Will Be Born |
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160 | (2) |
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162 | (2) |
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Geomorphic Evidence for Early Life on Mars |
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164 | (1) |
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By the Early 22nd Century, We Will Be Living on More Than One Tiny Ball in Our Solar System |
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165 | (3) |
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The Future of Human Mating |
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168 | (1) |
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The Hedonic Set Point Can Be Raised |
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169 | (3) |
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172 | (2) |
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174 | (2) |
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The Long View of Demographics |
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176 | (2) |
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Research Will Provide the First Effective Treatments for Many Diseases |
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178 | (4) |
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182 | (2) |
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Cancer Stem Cells and Novel Cancer Therapies |
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184 | (3) |
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The Human Epigenome Project |
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187 | (4) |
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191 | (1) |
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We Will Lead Healthy and Productive Lives Well Past Our Tenth Decade |
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192 | (2) |
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New Prospects of Immortality |
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194 | (4) |
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198 | (2) |
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Finding Mental Illness Genes |
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200 | (2) |
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202 | (2) |
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A Breakthrough in Understanding Intelligence Is Around the Corner |
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204 | (3) |
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207 | (3) |
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210 | (4) |
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Science As a Broadly Participatory Activity |
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214 | (2) |
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We Will Finally Get Mathematics Education Right |
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216 | (3) |
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The Nervous System of the Human Race Has Come Alive |
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219 | (2) |
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Emergent Democracy and Global Voices |
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221 | (1) |
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Humanity's Coming Enlightenment |
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222 | (3) |
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225 | (1) |
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226 | (3) |
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The End of the Commoditization of Knowledge |
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229 | (2) |
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231 | (2) |
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233 | (5) |
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The Coming Revolution in Science Education |
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238 | (2) |
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High-Resolution Images of Earth Will Thwart Global Villainy |
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240 | (1) |
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Transparency Is Inevitable |
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241 | (4) |
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Power Is Moving to the Masses - As a Market |
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245 | (1) |
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Capitalism Is Aligning with the Good |
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246 | (1) |
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Individuals Are Empowered in a Knowledge-Driven Economy |
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247 | (3) |
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Humans Will Learn to Learn from Diversity |
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250 | (5) |
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Early Detection of Learning Disabilities or Difficulties |
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255 | (2) |
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The Human Response to Vast Change Will Involve Strange Bounces |
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257 | (3) |
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260 | (2) |
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262 | (4) |
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266 | (3) |
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Long-Term Trends Toward Honesty to Others and Oneself |
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269 | (1) |
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The Baby Boomers Will Soon Retire |
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270 | (3) |
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The Evolutionary Ability of Humankind to Do the Right Things |
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273 | (2) |
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When Men Are Involved in the Care of Their Infants, the Cultures Do Not Make War |
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275 | (1) |
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The Survival of Friendship |
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276 | (2) |
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The Public Will Become Immune to Hype |
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278 | (1) |
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Solving the Mind-Body Problem |
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279 | (3) |
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282 | (1) |
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Truth Prevails --- Sometimes Technology Helps |
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283 | (2) |
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Human Intelligence Can Be Increased Dramatically |
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285 | (2) |
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287 | (6) |
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The Young Will Take Repair of the World into Their Own Hands |
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293 | (2) |
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Toward a Broader Sense of Global Issues and Possibilities |
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295 | (2) |
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Optimism on the Continuum Between Confidence and Hope |
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297 | (3) |
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300 | (2) |
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302 | (3) |
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Interpersonal Communication Will Become More Profound; Rationality Will Become More Romantic |
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305 | (3) |
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308 | (1) |
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309 | (1) |
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The Restoration of Innocence |
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310 | (2) |
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I Will Be Dead Wrong Again |
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312 | (1) |
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The Modeling of Group Behavior |
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313 | (3) |
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316 | (2) |
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We Will Find New Ways to Block Pessimism |
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318 | (1) |
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319 | (2) |
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The World Is a Wunderkammer |
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321 | (3) |
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Overcoming the Burden of Monocausalitis |
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324 | (2) |
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Things Could Always Be Worse |
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326 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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Humankind Is Particularly Good at Muddling |
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328 | (2) |
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The Increasing Coalescence of Scientific Disciplines |
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330 | (4) |
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334 | (3) |
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337 | (2) |
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Shortening Sleep Will Enrich Our Lives |
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339 | (4) |
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The Joys of Failing Enterprises |
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343 | (1) |
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Copying Is What Bits Are For |
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344 | (1) |
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Whether Solutions Are Possible |
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345 | (1) |
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Reforming Scientific and Medical Publishing via the Internet |
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346 | (4) |
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The Real Purity of Pure Science |
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350 | (2) |
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A Core Decency Even the Worst Government Machinations Can't Hold Down |
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352 | (1) |
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The Rise of Autism and the Digital Age |
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353 | (3) |
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A Second (and Better) Enlightenment |
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356 | (1) |
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Corrective Goggles for Our Conceptual Myopia |
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357 | (6) |
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| Index |
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363 | |
