The world’s most influential scientists and thinkers explain how culture evolved, why societies rise and fall, the rules of social networks, and the revolutionary impact of the internet.

• “Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions” by Jared Diamond (UCLA, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel): the reasons for the failure and collapse of societies, and how we can make better decisions to protect our own future.

• “The Evolution of Culture” by Daniel C. Dennett (Tufts, author of Breaking the Spell): how culture evolved as a unique part of the human story.

• “A Big Theory of Culture” by Brian Eno (musician, recording producer of U2, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and others): a big-picture critique of what cultures value.

• “Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism” by Jaron Lanier (“the father of virtual reality technology,” author of You Are Not a Gadget): a cautionary look at the impact of the internet on our lives and culture.

• “Social Networks Are Like the Eye” by Nicholas Christakis (Harvard, 2009 selection of the TIME 100): on the structure and rules of social networks, both “real” and on-line.

* Plus essays on Google, the reciprocity of good deeds, the “the knowledge web,” and the fate of democracy and politics in a wireless world.