Jacob Burak

Writer & Publisher, Alaxon

Jacob Burak is the founder of Alaxon, a digital magazine about culture, art and popular science, where he writes regularly. His latest book is How to Find a Black Cat in a Dark Room (2017). He lives in Tel Aviv.

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Written by Jacob Burak

Vintage colourised photo of Carnegie Public Library and City Hall, Vancouver BC, featuring a streetcar, pedestrians, and historic buildings.

ideaSocial psychology

Is philanthropy driven by the human desire to cheat death?

Jacob Burak

Painting of a man reading by a wall with a desk and chair in the foreground. Two framed pictures hang above the desk.

ideaCognition and intelligence

Overvaluing confidence, we’ve forgotten the power of humility

Jacob Burak

Painting of two cartoonish men in hats. One man uses a brush to paint a red line on the other man’s forehead. Green background.

essayArt

Head to head

Michelangelo and Raphael; Leibniz and Newton; Constable and Turner. Does every creative genius need a bitter rival?

Jacob Burak

Black-and-white film still of Buster Keaton and Virginia Fox wearing hats, sitting in an old-fashioned car, both with expressions of boredom.

essayCognition and intelligence

Outlook: gloomy

Humans are wired for bad news, angry faces and sad memories. Is this negativity bias useful or something to overcome?

Jacob Burak

A man in a suit looking at his phone, standing next to a suitcase, while a woman squats near a wall with a handbag.

essayAddiction

Escape from the matrix

The fear of missing out haunts our social networks and our real lives alike. But there is a way to break free

Jacob Burak