Admit it – you're glued to your phone, like everybody else. Literacy is plummeting, and universities are under attack. Are we all getting dumber? Or is society transforming, discovering new ways to be smart?
The Winter 2025 edition of New Humanist is out now, and it's all about intelligence in the modern world. To dig into this topic, we've enlisted the brainpower of award-winning writer Naomi Alderman, renowned philosopher Martha Nussbaum, law and tech pioneer Richard Susskind and many more thinkers and experts.
Keep reading for a peek inside!
How to stay smart in a changing world
Our "Voices" section brings together expert perspectives on the big question: How can we keep our minds sharp as the world changes around us?
Kate Devlin, professor of AI, argues that we can't leave all the decisions to the machines, author Ziyad Marar offers advice on keeping an open mind, neurobiologist Moheb Costandi digs into the science of what AI will do to our brains, Martha Nussbaum of Chicago University advocates for saving the humanities, and tech guru Richard Susskind says professionals need to get ahead of the AI revolution.
"We are going through tumultuous times and the need to be open-minded ... is more and more vital if we are to adapt well. False certainty is often the bread and butter of autocrats and dictators."
Tips for surviving the Third Information Crisis
Naomi Alderman, author of The Power, talks to us about her forthcoming book, Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today (and Other Lessons from History about Living Through an Information Crisis). She argues that – much like the invention of writing and the printing press – the rise of the internet has created new challenges for communication and understanding, which we are still struggling to navigate today.
"Those of us who deliberately spend hours of our day reading are going to be in a similar position to people who deliberately spend hours of their day lifting heavy weights, which is to say we’re just going to be able to do more with our brains."
Teaching when to trust
As fake news accelerates, we need to teach our children how to think critically. Writer Zion Lights explores the Finnish schools teaching students to spot fake news – and how the UK can catch up with them.
"The Finns are ahead of the curve in large part due to their proximity to Russia, a country known for its disinformation campaigns ... In response, Finland treats resistance to disinformation almost as a form of civil defence."
The Winter 2025 edition of New Humanist is on sale now! Subscribe or buy a copy today.
Also in the Winter 2025 edition:
- Katherine Stewart on the US anti-abortion activists turning their attention to Britain
- Psychologist Simon McCarthy-Jones on how fear-driven overregulation of AI could present its own kind of danger
- Marcus Chown on why we must fight Trump's cuts to black hole research
- Jamaima Afridi on how, without access to healthcare, the Taliban is leaving Afghan women to die
- Peter Salmon on why you can't keep blaming your choices on "unconscious" desires
- Christopher Dorrell asks why so many atheists are going on pilgrimage
- Journalist and author Sophie Gilbert on porn and pop culture
- Michael Rosen on the history and meaning of the word "condemn"
- Peter Ward explores the wild world of conspiracy theories about the internet
- Ralph Jones on the myth of the "genius"
- George Fallon finds out how glow-in-the-dark plants could help farmers fight the effects of climate change
- Shaparak Khorsandi in defence of gossip
- Samira Ahmed joins a glam-rock goodbye to Marc Bolan
- Christopher Shrimpton reviews a bold new take on Ibsen, featuring a black, queer Hedda
- Emma Park on art and architecture in our new Glass Age
Plus more fascinating features on the biggest topics shaping our world today, book reviews, original poetry, and our regular cryptic crossword and brainteaser.
