Steven Poole
Steven Poole is the author of Rethink, You Aren't What You Eat, Unspeak, and Trigger Happy
-
The Ethical Carnivore by Louise Gray review – one way to stop us eating so much meatGray has written a charming and eye-opening book about her year spent eating creatures only she had killed. She points the way to a reduced-meat future
-
The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe – a bonfire of facts, reeking of vanityThe celebrated author challenges Darwin and Chomsky on the origin of human language in an irresponsibly partial account, riddled with falsehoods
-
Mythomania by Peter Conrad review – the real meaning of Apple, cronuts and the KardashiansA collection of playful essays, inspired by Roland Barthes, explores the deeper significance of today’s cultural phenomena
-
Does it matter if Google is rewiring our minds? Ask PlatoThe debate we are now having about the effect of constant internet access on memory and creativity has precedents thousands of years old
-
Should’ve seen it coming: the trademarking of public languageNow that Specsavers’ application to trademark ‘should’ve’ has been approved, can we expect the rest of the dictionary to be snapped up?
-
How we let the phoneys take control and debase the language of politicsFrom Donald Trump to the Brexit campaign, outrageous untruths are now almost a matter of course. How did we reach the point where ‘falsehood flies’?
-
Don't call it a comeback: has Jonah Lehrer plagiarised again?He was the neuroscience whiz-kid who fell from grace in a plagiarism scandal. Now he’s back with a new book – and his writing is being questioned anew
-
The Stress Test by Ian Robertson review – why pressure is good for youWe have long known that stress can be energising. This engaging book, full of science and vivid stories, presents the case for ‘what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger’
-
Why bad ideas refuse to dieThe Long Read: They may have been disproved by science or dismissed as ridiculous, but some foolish beliefs endure. In theory they should wither away – but it’s not that simple
-
-
The Voices Within by Charles Fernyhough review – why do we talk to ourselves?We experience some kind of inner speech for at least a quarter of our waking lives. This helps some, while others set out to reduce the chatter. And how does it relate to God?
-
The Path by Michael Puett & Christine Gross-Loh – how to turn your life aroundForget navel-gazing – the authors of this bestselling self-help book claim that ancient Chinese wisdom offers an easy way to the good life. But does it say anything new?
-
You Could Look It Up by Jack Lynch review – search engines can’t do everythingWhat about all the information not available on Google? Lynch’s survey of reference books covers much ground and makes the case that for distillation of knowledge and serendipity of browsing, printed texts are easily best
-
After The Night Manager: five of the best Le Carré novelsSo you loved Tom Hiddleston undercover. Here are more John le Carré thrills
-
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance review – how one tech billionaire plans to save the worldThe Silicon Valley entrepreneur wants to solve humanity’s problems with his electric cars, space travel and solar panels. Where did he come from and what makes him tick?
-
Should children be told to not use exclamation marks?Is this a wise intervention by the Department of Education, or an edict too far? Steven Poole and Nell Frizzell discuss in a cool, calm manner
-
'Winning, winning, winning': the genius of The Donald’s TrumpspeakDonald Trump’s dazzlingly vague speeches are a far cry from the carefully engineered soundbites of most political rhetoric. So what exactly is he doing?
-
Pretentiousness by Dan Fox review – why anti-intellectualism is the real snobberyCalling something pretentious is lazy, vacuous and smug – after all, it’s good at times for our ambition to outstrip our abilities. Those who invoke bluff ‘common sense’ are the actual snobs
-
Together in electric dreams: how the art world embraced modern technology firstA wall of TV monitors, a face pixelated in Mondrian colours, a playful selfie … we may all be artists in the social media age, but, as a new exhibition reveals, visual artists were the original tech heads
-
Beyond Zero and One: Machines, Psychedelics, and Consciousness by Andrew Smart review – inside the minds of computersHow can we stop superintelligent computers from taking over the world? Feed them a digital dose of LSD, suggests this mind-bending book
-
NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman review – an enlightened take on autism and differenceThis sparklingly humane book makes the case that there is no such thing as neurologically ‘normal’
-
What you're about to say is stupid – how to get your 'pretaliation' in firstAn MP has accused Sebastian Coe of ‘pretaliation’ in advance of the damning report into doping in world athletics. We asked a language expert for a ‘presponse’ to the new word’s coming popularity
-
What does ‘radical’ actually mean? Well, it depends who you ask …Being radical is excellent. Unless you are the wrong sort of radical – an adherent, say, of ‘radical Islam’. How do we know when ‘radical’ means something nice and when it means something nasty?
I Hate the Internet by Jarett Kobek review – the best ‘bad novel’ around