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Existential Philosophy
Long after the last star burns out, the Universe will experience its end state: a heat death. Will everything prior then be meaningless?
8mins
"The thing that the nihilist recognizes is that the values he or she holds are not grounded in anything other than their own preferences."
Our view of the world, the Universe, and ourselves can change with just one glimpse of what's out there. It's happened many times before.
In this excerpt from "The Great Math War," Jason Socrates Bardi explores how Georg Cantor revolutionized mathematics and reshaped how our finite minds conceived of the infinite.
"Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the very end."
There's some, but not overwhelming, evidence that dark energy is evolving. What would it take for a "Big Crunch" to be our cosmic fate?
Each of these stories rests on a foundation of great ideas that will scare you to death and make you think.
In 2025, Earth remains the only planet where life is known to exist. Without a second example, "The Stand" has a vital lesson to teach us.
In revolutionary Russia, a group of forward-thinking philosophers offered an alternative to both futurism and communism.
When it comes to our Universe's origins, scientists discuss the Big Bang, cosmic inflation, and other theories. Why doesn't "God" come up?
No matter what it is that we discover about reality, the fact that reality itself can be understood remains the most amazing fact of all.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
If you feel like you're missing out on something bigger, you might be feeling saṃvega.
Arendt thought 20th-century philosophy had become too passive and abstract. She called for "active thinking" that prepares us to live in the real world.
Pessimissts are never disappointed, but are they also kinder?
Whether we should tear down philosophy’s Berlin Wall and let East and West finally merge depends entirely on what we think philosophy is—and what it’s for.
If humanity lives in an otherwise barren Universe, we'll have to forge philosophy that fills the void.
An interview with renowned mythologist Martin Shaw about persona, presence, and how to spend life's finite time.
Today's philosophy students would be justified in asking, "What does any of this have to do with living?"
Pleasure, virtue, and doubt are necessary, but each is insufficient on its own.
One of the fundamental constants of nature, the fine-structure constant, determines so much about our Universe. Here's why it matters.
All religions have three traits: metaphysical commitments, ethical guidance, and daily rituals or practices. So does Stoicism.
While we’re busy wondering whether machines will ever become conscious, we rarely stop to ask: What happens to us?
How can "you" move on when the old "you" is gone?
"In that conversation with Laozi’s text, I began to see the shape of my own life, the questions that opened seams, the patterns that pooled and shimmered."
Oliver Burkeman — author of "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" — tells Big Think about modern life lessons from a 6th-century monk.
8mins
How can ancient philosophical wisdom guide us in ensuring that artificial intelligence enhances human flourishing rather than diminishing it?
Cosmos Institute
Executive coach Jodi Wellman explains how to “make it to the end with no regrets.”
“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”