Philosophy

Philosophy

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

A blue compass rose emblem with a fractured design symbolizes navigation through the struggles of addiction, set starkly against a black background.
Big Think spoke with author and psychiatrist Elias Dakwar about addiction, rock bottom, and the moment you realize your compass is broken.
Collage featuring Donald Trump on 'The Apprentice', Kim Kardashian on a red carpet, a film script, and a camera operator, capturing the behind-the-scenes essence of reality TV.
From Allen Funt to Donald Trump, author Emily Nussbaum explains how reality TV has blurred the lines between, well, reality and TV.
Collage featuring a woman smiling, the text "The Nightcrawler," power lines, and multiple sticky notes with handwritten text detailing tiny experiments.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Group of people in a formal setting, with a man holding a large book, others standing nearby, and photographers capturing the scene. There is a large portrait and flags in the background.
We're all entitled to our own opinions, no matter how ill-informed they are. But facts are facts; we can't just choose the ones we prefer.
A person with light hair is turned sideways, holding and reading a partially redacted book filled with pseudonyms, all set against a black grid background.
From acclaimed novels to heretical treatises, sometimes a writer just doesn't want to put their name on the cover.
Abstract black and white artwork consisting of scattered and fragmented geometric shapes on a plain background.
A brief guide to habits that separate deep understanding from superficial knowledge — and how to cultivate them.
first contact
Only 5% of the Universe is made of normal "stuff" like we are. Could there be dark matter or dark energy life, or even aliens, out there?
A silhouette of a head brimming with green grass and tiny flowers forms a brain-like shape, embodying sentience against a yellow textured background.
Could AI develop true intelligence without sentience? Philosopher Jonathan Birch explores the boundaries of artificial and evolved minds.
Collaged image with a Buddha statue, newspapers on finance, and text "The Nightcrawler" against a grid background. Featuring stock market graph details, it embodies the concept of mujo—impermanence—in the ever-changing financial landscape.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A sunflower with a detailed close-up of its center, showcasing spiral patterns intertwined with mathematics. Fibonacci sequence and mathematical diagrams elegantly overlay a serene blue background.
The artistic and the mathematical mind are not so far apart.
Collage featuring a black and white portrait of an older man exuding priceless conviction amidst abstract patterns and aerial river imagery, with the title "The Nightcrawler" at the top.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Collage featuring scientific diagrams, two black-and-white portraits of men, wheat plants, and "Solutionism" text in the center.
We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions. Call it “solutionism.”
A classical statue, embodying an Olympic mindset, holds a clipboard and phone against a split green and black background.
What we can all learn about the journey from sporting arena to workplace — and how Aristotle can guide our thinking.
A cracked egg under pressure supports a large blue rock, surrounded by a cheering crowd in black and white.
Professional sport is a hotbed of "performance anxiety” — and to start managing pressure in all settings, we need to properly define it.
Basketball player in a yellow jersey with number 8, showcasing his leadership mentality, prepares to shoot a jump shot on the court.
Webflow CEO Linda Tong tells Big Think how her lifelong love of sports has guided her ascent to the C-Suite.
A skateboarder in protective gear performs an aerial trick, showcasing the art of acquiescence against a backdrop of blue sky with clouds on one side and a solid yellow background with a black squiggly line on the other.
How choosing Stoic acceptance — not dour resignation — galvanized great leaders from Thomas Edison to Phil Jackson and Tony Hawk.
Collage with images of a close embrace, crowded street, running feet, U.S. dollar bills symbolizing wealth, and an alarm clock.
Sahil Bloom explores why wealth isn’t just about money, but about knowing which type of wealth matters most in each season of life.
View of Earth rising over the Moon’s surface against a black space backdrop, captured during an Apollo mission.
If humanity lives in an otherwise barren Universe, we'll have to forge philosophy that fills the void.