550 million years of human evolution [animation]

Cinematic Espresso Shots By Hannah Piercey If Aristotle were alive today, to paraphrase a famous Timothy Leary adage, he would have a Vimeo channel. So believes Jason Silva, a young futurist and filmmaker with movie-star looks and a childlike sense of wonder. Leary’s notion of the philosopher as a performer is a natural fit for Silva. Silva double-majored in film and philosophy at the University of Miami. Silva received his first camera at age 12 and became immediately obsessed. “Watching the video later, after the insight wore out—after a meal or shower when I was in a different mode of consciousness—created an interesting feedback loop between my ‘experiencing self’ and my ‘remembering self,’” Silva reflected, borrowing a concept from psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s 2010 TEDTalk. After nearly five years at Current and feeling ready for a new challenge, Silva left the channel to produce videos independently. Silva quickly found an audience online—and it scaled. And now back to the Timothy Leary reference.