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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.
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idea

Social 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.
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idea

Cognition 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.
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essay

Art

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.
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essay

Cognition 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.
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essay

Addiction

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

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