Short Synopsis
The bestselling editor of This Explains Everything brings together 175 of the world's most brilliant minds to tackle Edge.org's 2014 question: What scientific idea has become a relic blocking human progress?

Full Synopsis
Each year, John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, challenges some of the world's greatest scientists, artists, and philosophers to answer a provocative question crucial to our time. In 2014, he asked 175 brilliant minds to ponder: What scientific idea needs to be put aside in order to make room for new ideas to advance? The answers are as surprising as they are illuminating. In This Idea Must Die:

• Steven Pinker dismantles the working theory of human behavior


• Sherry Turkle reevaluates our expectations of artificial intelligence


• Andrei Linde suggests that our universe and its laws may not be as unique as we think


• Martin Rees explains why scientific understanding is a limitless goal


• Nina Jablonski argues to rid ourselves of the concept of race


• And much more.

Profound, engaging, thoughtful, and groundbreaking, This Idea Must Die will change your perceptions and understanding of our world today . . . and tomorrow.

"Brockman succeeds in presenting scientific work that will appeal to a variety of readers, no matter their background." ---Publishers Weekly

"Physics, statistics, robotics, linguistics, medicine---all are zestfully scrutinized in this exuberant, mind-blowing gathering of innovative thinkers." ---Booklist

"[T]hese ingenious cerebral tidbits will stimulate, provoke and confuse (in a good way) intelligent readers." ---Kirkus