What are the fundamental forces that drive human behavior? A group of evolutionary thinkers offer an answer by revising one of psychology’s most familiar images. Abraham Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs is one of the iconic images of psychology. The simple diagram, first introduced in the 1940s, spells out the underlying motivations that drive our day-to-day … Read more

“My ideas evolved from long hours in local bars, talking, talking, talking, always about morality. People were always asking ‘Who do you think you are, Socrates?’ They said it with contempt, but I would smile and say, ‘Thank you.’” – Tim Cooney The television show Sesame Street recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. To commemorate the … Read more

William Jacques, nicknamed ‘Tome Raider’ after stealing hundreds of rare books in the late 1990s, drew up a ‘thief’s shopping list’, targeting the most expensive books that he could access. He used a false name to sign in to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley library in London before hiding valuable books under his tweed jacket, … Read more

Not long ago I was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in China I’d never heard of. No experience was necessary—which was good, because I had none. While settling into Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of, I sought ways to relax and discovered the best … Read more