Existential Philosophy

Existential Philosophy

A person stands on a rocky peak, overlooking a foggy and mountainous landscape, holding a walking stick and facing away from the viewer, perhaps contemplating the nihilistic insignificance of human existence in the vastness of nature.
Just being a pessimist, cynic, or apathetic doesn't make you a nihilist.
The acceptance of death is deeply embedded in our culture; it's time to overthrow that idea.
Four-panel collage of historical philosophers in various artistic styles, including a sculpture, a sketch, and two realistic portraits.
From Taoism to hedonism, philosophers have devised all sorts of ways to live your best life.
A silhouette of a person experiencing a near-death encounter in front of a fire.
Millions of people have had a near-death experience, and it often leads them to believe in an afterlife. Does this count as good proof?
A man with long hair and a beard, embodying the concept of free will.
A volley of new insights reignites the debate over whether our choices are ever truly our own.
A headshot of Ludwig Wittgenstein on a bright orange background paired with a headshot of Alan Turing on a tan background.
In pre-War Cambridge, students had to ace an interview with Ludwig Wittgenstein to attend his lectures — Alan Turing passed that test, and went on to create one of his own.
Two clocks displaying the accurate time on a blue background.
Our intuitive understanding of time is very different from a physicist's understanding of time. How do we reconcile these views?
An image of a spiral galaxy in space.
We need a hypothesis that accounts for both the fine-tuning of physics for life but also the arbitrariness and gratuitous suffering we find in the world.
A painting of a demon and a group of other demons.
The history of hell doesn't begin with the Old Testament. Instead, hell took shape in the 2nd century from Mediterranean cultural exchange.
A group of men studying Japanese philosophy.
Traditionally, the long history of Japanese thought has not been viewed as “philosophy” — even by Japanese scholars. It’s time for a rethink.
Aliens contemplating the apocalypse in a field with a castle in the background.
There's nothing like the end of the world to make you a philosopher.
A weird tale of realism set in The Lord of the Rings universe.
The One Ring has its own agency and sentience — and it opens up a wonderful philosophy of things beyond our comprehension.
Three Egginton men are shown in front of a blue background.
A new book envisions an encounter of minds between the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, the physicist Werner Heisenberg, and the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
A Copernican-inspired map of the world showcasing a central globe.
Despite the vast number of planets in the Universe, Earth's specific evolutionary history guarantees that its life forms — including humans — are utterly unique.
A painting showcasing the enigmatic visage of a bearded man, invoking intrigue and perhaps evoking insight into the psychology of criminals through subtle symbolism.
Great writing can unveil the criminal psyche better than any other artistic medium.
A carnival-themed painting of a crowd.
The carnival spirit was in full swing when the priests got wasted and made indecent gestures while dressed like pimps.
a painting of a landscape with mountains and rain.
Unlock the paradoxes of life through poetic realism.
John Templeton Foundation
a portrait of a man with a green background.
Descartes broke from the European philosophers who preceded him and devised a new way of considering humanity and the world.
an abstract blue and white background with a spiral design.
Dive into a realm where time, space, and even reality itself are put into question.
a painting of a woman shaking hands with a man.
A philosophy of birth can offset the prevailing narrative around extinction and mortality.
a computer generated image of a balloon and a plant.
We have become the greatest threat to ourselves and to life on this planet. We need a set of agreed-upon safeguards to preserve our future.
Thinking about the problem of meaning is unsettling because it introduces us to a list of solutions that all feel a bit insane.
John Templeton Foundation
infinity
The Universe is grand, awe-inspiring, and greater than we likely imagine. Even astrophysicists get anxious thinking about it, but we cope.
a woman's head with a circuit board on it.
5mins
“All the plausible paths to a really great future, involve the development of machine superintelligence at some point.”
Geological time drawn as a spiral
Humanity can avoid catastrophe — if we look beyond our blinkered present.
cosmic epochs lookback hubble 13.8 billion
With a finite 13.8 billion years having passed since the Big Bang, there's an edge to what we can see: the cosmic horizon. What's it like?
Science will lead us to a universal morality and a cosmic religion.