Conrad Wolfram wants to transform the way we teach math — by taking advantage of computers. The Mathematica creator convinced the Estonian government to give his radical curriculum a try — so why is the rest of the world so resistant?

• SOURCE:
  • Conrad Wolfram, strategic director and European cofounder/C.E.O. of Wolfram Research, and founder of computerbasedmath.org.

• RESOURCES:
  • "In California, a Math Problem: Does Data Science = Algebra II?" by Amy Harmon (The New York Times, 2023).
  • The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age, by Conrad Wolfram (2020).
  • "The Movement to Modernize Math Class," by Yoree Koh (The Wall Street Journal, 2020).
  • "Math Rebels Invade Estonia With Computerized Education," by Klint Finley (Wired, 2013).
  • "Do Left-Handed People Really Die Young?" by Hannah Barnes (BBC News, 2013).
  • "Teaching Kids Real Math With Computers," by Conrad Wolfram (TED Talk, 2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Bringing Data to Life," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Steven Strogatz Thinks You Don’t Know What Math Is," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Mathematician Sarah Hart on Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "America’s Math Curriculum Doesn’t Add Up," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).

Ellen Langer is a psychologist at Harvard who studies the mind-body connection. She’s published some of the most remarkable scientific findings Steve has ever encountered. Can we really improve our physical health by changing our mind?

• SOURCE:
  • Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing), by Sal Khan (2024).
  • "F.D.A.’s Review of MDMA Cites Health Risks and Study Flaws," by Andrew Jacobs and Christina Jewett (The New York Times, 2024).
  • The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health, by Ellen Langer (2023).
  • "Physical Healing as a Function of Perceived Time," by Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2023).
  • "Aging as a Mindset: A Study Protocol to Rejuvenate Older Adults With a Counterclockwise Psychological Intervention," by Francesco Pagnini, Cesare Cavalera, Ellen Langer, et al. (BMJ Open, 2019).
  • Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, by Ellen Langer (2009).
  • "Mind-Set Matters: Exercise and the Placebo Effect," by Alia Crum and Ellen Langer (2007).
  • "The Effects of Choice and Enhanced Personal Responsibility for the Aged: A Field Experiment in an Institutional Setting," by Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1976).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Future of Therapy Is Psychedelic," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Extra: An Update on the Khan World School," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Is This the Future of High School?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "What It Takes to Know Everything," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "Sal Khan: 'If It Works for 15 Cousins, It Could Work for a Billion People,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Greg Norman & Mark Broadie: Why Golf Beats an Orgasm and Why Data Beats Everything," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Caverly Morgan: 'I Am Not This Voice. I Am Not This Narrative,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2020).
  • "Does 'As If' Thinking Really Work?" by No Stupid Questions (2020).
  • "Havana Wild Weekend," S28.E7 of The Simpsons (2016).

Author and YouTuber John Green thought his breakout bestseller wouldn’t be a commercial success, wrote 40,000 words for one sentence, and brought Steve to tears.

• SOURCE:
  • John Green, best-selling author and YouTube creator.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Deadliest Infectious Disease Isn’t a Science Problem. It’s a Money Problem," by John Green (The Washington Post, 2024).
  • “Tuition Inflation Isn’t as Bad as You Think,” by Felix Salmon (Axios, 2022).
  • “Fast Facts: Expenditures,” by the National Center for Education Statistics (2022).
  • “Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2021,” by the College Board (2021).
  • “#37 John,” by Heavyweight (2021).
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, by John Green (2021).
  • “Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Stickers and the Indianapolis 500,” by The Anthropocene Reviewed Podcast (2019).
  • “How Joan of Arc Conquered Mark Twain,” by Ted Gioia (America: The Jesuit Review, 2018).
  • Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green (2017).
  • The Fault in Our Stars, film (2014).
  • The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (2012).
  • Looking for Alaska, by John Green (2005).
  • All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren and Noel Polk (1946).
  • Harvey, film (1950).
  • vlogbrothers, YouTube channel by John and Hank Green.
  • Crash Course, YouTube channel by John and Hank Green.

• EXTRAS:
  • “Peter Singer Isn’t a Saint, But He’s Better Than Steve Levitt,” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back To School,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).