This Explains Everything (Edge Question Series)

In This Explains Everything, John Brockman, founder and publisher of Edge.org, asked experts in numerous fields and disciplines to come up with their favorite explanations for everyday occurrences. Why do we recognize patterns? Is there such a thing as positive stress? Are we genetically programmed to be in conflict with each other? Those are just some of the 150 questions that the world's best scientific minds answer with elegant simplicity.With contributions from Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, Nassim Taleb, Brian Eno, Steven Pinker, and more, everything is explained in fun, uncomplicated terms that make the most complex concepts easy to comprehend.

Reviews

"A smorgasbord of ideas." -- Kirkus Reviews "Offers a rare chance to discover big ideas before they hit the mainstream." -- New York Times Book Review "Fun and inspirational. ... This engaging collection can be read from cover to cover or browsed as interest dictates, but all inquisitive readers will enjoy it. Highly recommended..." -- Library Journal "Characteristically thought-provoking and reliably cross-disciplinary, This Explains Everything is a must-read in its entirety." -- Brain Pickings "A collection of essays by big thinkers answering big questions [should be] deeply satisfying. And This Explains Everything delivers." -- New Scientist "The most stimulating English-language reading to be had from anywhere in the world." -- The Canberra Times "Delivers an intellectual melange you can dip into and savor. ... The reader gets something new at each turn of the page." -- New York Journal of Books "A collection that reads like the best TED talks ever. It's an absolute pleasure to read." -- FAREED ZAKARIA "Rich in mental fodder. ... An indispensable way to sample thinking from many corners of the intellectual spectrum." -- Pop Matters