we are chemosensory idiots. By comparison most other organisms are geniuses. - Edward O. Wilson

Much of culture, including especially the content of the creative arts, has arisen from the inevitable clash of individual selection and group selection.

...successful research doesn't depend on mathematical skill, or even the deep understanding of theory. It depends to a large degree on choosing an important problem and finding a way to solve it, even if imperfectly at first. Very often ambition and entrepreneurial drive, in combination, beat brilliance.

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.