Philosophy

Philosophy

Examine life’s biggest questions, from ethics to existence, with curiosity and critical thinking.

Two colorful spiral galaxies interacting in space, with bright centers and swirling arms of red, blue, and white hues, set against a backdrop of stars.
The Kalam cosmological argument asserts that everything that exists must have a cause, and the "first" cause must be God. Is that valid?
Graph titled "The Post-WWII Boom 1945-1970" shows intersecting curves labeled "The Old World Is Dying" and "The New One Struggles To Be Born," with "JFK Was Here" marked at 1960.
Americans have gone through three historic junctures like what we're witnessing today — and they happen on an uncanny 80-year cycle.
Stylized graphic featuring two separate, partial illustrations of faces in blue and yellow tones against textured backgrounds, subtly capturing a nod to Seth Godin's bold and thought-provoking style.
Bestselling author Seth Godin urges us to rethink our definition of longevity — and to step back and measure what matters.
branching parallel universes
The Multiverse isn't just a staple of science fiction; there's real-life science behind it, too. Here are 10 facts to expand your mind.
Stylized illustration of a person holding a chess piece, with a digital glitch effect and horizontal lines creating a blue-toned, distorted appearance.
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
A retro computer displays a ghost on the screen as pixelated chains drift across the foreground, reminiscent of a scene from a Ken Liu short story. This digital haunt unfolds against a vivid orange background.
The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit "Pantheon."
A person in a suit holds a red mask boldly in front of their face, symbolizing the leap to leader, while another mask partially conceals their true identity.
Adam Bryant makes a key observation about rising to the challenges of leadership — and your change-resistant former self won’t like it.
Over a century after we first unlocked the secrets of the quantum universe, people find it more puzzling than ever. Can we make sense of it?
A close-up of an oiled muscular arm flexing on the left and a vibrant peacock feather with blue and green hues, symbolizing sexual selection, on the right, both set against a stark black background.
Science writer Matt Ridley joins us to discuss how “Darwin’s strangest idea” makes us all a bit feather-brained (in a good way).
A graph titled "The Long Boom 2000-2025" shows intersecting curves from 1975 to 2025, depicting a transition from an old to a new world. Text reads "I was here" at the intersection around 2005.
The latest from Peter Leyden's "The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050", an essay series published by Freethink.
A cartoon of three cosmic phenomena (CMB, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, Supernovae) pulling on a triangle. Text below reads: "Something has to give...
DESI, by mapping galaxies, has claimed they see evidence for dark energy evolving by getting weaker. But that's only one interpretation.
A stone bust of a bearded figure with an orange band across its forehead displaying several question marks.
“It’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.”
A man in a suit sits on a stage chair with a headset, set against a vibrant green background, ready to discuss the latest advancements at OpenAI.
OpenAI has become a household name in artificial intelligence — but back in 2018 things looked very rocky. Here’s what happened.
Einstein's general relativity has reigned supreme as our theory of gravity for over a century. Could we reduce it back down to Newton's law?
Illustration of two connected neurons with green and orange bodies, featuring detailed blue nuclei, against a black grid background.
A fresh view of intelligence — spanning living systems from bacteria to human civilization — challenges the idea that it’s merely problem-solving.
Collage featuring a power plant, Alpha School text and logo, graphs, and "The Night Crawler" title on a geometric blue and white background, seamlessly incorporating AI education elements.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.