Between the climate crisis and the US government crisis it’s difficult to remain upbeat. So today instead of writing about either of those I want to celebrate an example of what I call the Knowledge Loop in my book World After Capital. 

About a year ago or so I stumbled on a wonderful Youtube channel called Numberphile that has over 3 million subscribers. On Numberphile, Brady Haran gets mathematicians to explain interesting and sometimes simply just quirky bits of math. The videos tend to be under 15 minutes and are super engaging. Here is one I watched last night on transcendental numbers.

These videos convey so much wonder and honest excitement that provides a marvelous antidote for the cynicism that we are exposed to daily. I also believe that young people who watch these may discover an interest in mathematics and so am pleased to see that many of the videos have 1 million views. What a beautiful celebration and sharing of human knowledge!