There’s a village with a shared pasture, where every farmer can graze their sheep. Each farmer has his own land, but would prefer to graze for free in the commons. Sheep eat – no personal cost. The “tragedy of the commons” explains how each farmer, seeking just a slight edge over the others, adds one…

The act of sculpting extends far beyond marble. Living in 1400s Florence as a romantic-era sculptor may not be on the cards for most of us, but sculpting is broader than a single medium. To sculpt is to shape, to cleanse of impurities, to multiply through subtraction. That instinct is a human one, and one…

There is a common tendency to label negativity as bad, and positivity as good. This can be useful, as it can deter people from being too hard on themselves. Rather than lamenting their current situation, positive people seem to bounce back quicker. But this mindset has its limitations. At what point does the more “positive”…

An import element of managing an investment portfolio is the minimisation of risk. Money risk is pretty well known, but what about the risk of inefficiently allocating time to negative emotion-inducing activities? The average person gets about 700k hours over their lifetime to spend on whatever activities tickle their fancy, and then the dark void…

Shall I ask your purpose, Mr Market,In freeing the labour and minds of men?They are still workers, but with a target,And skills on which their livelihoods depend;Wants are whispered into your patient ear,And a price is given to those who speak;Those that produce are protected from fear,And those that pay receive what they seek;Every baron…

Introduction Systems change over time. Ideally, we want them to change in a way that benefits us. To do this we need to understand how these systems change (evolve), and what tools we have available to influence the direction of this change. Evolution isn’t just biological. Learning how to think about a system from an…

Sweetness in food, signalling the presence of calorie-dense carbohydrates, appealed to our ancestors as a crucial energy source. In contrast, bitterness often signalled potential danger, such as the toxicity of certain berries, guiding our ancestors’ survival instincts Most people put sugar in their coffee for exactly this reason – more sweet, less bitter. As such,…