Philosophy

Philosophy

Book cover of The Devil Is a Southpaw by Brandon Hobson featuring two black birds; text on left reads "an excerpt from" on a light blue background. “The Devil Is a Southpaw”: A novel by Brandon Hobson
A preview of the latest novel by the National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson.
solar system model Groupthink in science isn’t a problem; it’s a myth
Scientists are notoriously resistant to new ideas. Are they falling prey to groupthink? Or are our current theories just that successful?
A beam of light shines through clouds in a painted sky, with the word "AWE" in large yellow letters centered in the image.
14 min
Why Einstein called awe the fundamental emotion
If you’ve gotten goosebumps when hearing a story about a stranger’s selfless heroism, or you’ve felt your chest swell at a concert, when the audience’s voice and the musician’s instruments align, you have felt awe. And, according to professor Dacher Keltner, who has spent his life studying it, it’s one of humankind’s most unifying traits:
A collage featuring Andrew Markell thinking at a desk, a close-up of a handshake, and a person standing alone, overlaid with swirling red and green arrows. Resilience is overrated: Unlock the real secret to business longevity
Andrew Markell — philosopher, martial artist, and CEO advisor — argues that true endurance comes from desire, ritual, and learning to evolve through chaos.
Six brain MRI scan images are arranged in two rows, showing various cross-sectional views of the human brain, with the bottom row featuring a blue and pink color overlay.
3 min
Can you measure love? 3 experts discuss
From neuroscience to philosophy, experts reveal why compassion may be the most important human skill we have.
Unlikely Collaborators
A rat stands on a concrete floor, casting a shadow on the wall that resembles the shape of a sheep.
9 min
How facing adversity can help you live a deeper, more meaningful life
“There would be something very, very empty and meaningless about [a] sort of life with no problems.”
ufo lights liverpool Why aliens might not “speak physics” the same way we do
Physicist Daniel Whiteson challenges the notion that all intelligent species would eventually uncover the same laws of nature. Do you agree?
A woman in a white dress sits on a chair by a window, reading a book in a softly lit room with a piano nearby, embodying the quiet charm of why read old books. Every era believes it is enlightened. Old books teach us otherwise.
Reading classic books can teach you as much about the present as the past.
A middle-aged man with short gray hair and a receding hairline is smiling, wearing a dark t-shirt against a light blue background.
Members
Productivity for Mortals
Everywhere we turn, we’re surrounded by polished images of how life should look, and even knowing perfection isn’t real can leave us feeling stuck. In this class, Oliver Burkeman invites us to see through that illusion and embrace our limitations, revealing a more grounded path to productivity that actually works for real, imperfect people.
A person stands alone on calm water with the word "STILLNESS" in bold letters over the scene.
21 min
How accepting impermanence can end the struggle to “fix” your life
“The idea is that we move from a place of wanting the world to conform to what we like [towards] not needing other people to be different from who they are.”
An image of El Gordo, a massive galaxy cluster captured by Hubble Where does the expanding Universe begin?
The planet, the Solar System, and the galaxy aren't expanding. But the whole Universe is. So where does the dividing line begin?
A man sits on a stool in front of a backdrop displaying a declining graph with bar charts and red trend lines, suggesting a downward trend in data.
1 min
How your cognitive biases lead to terrible investing behaviors
“Let me walk you through the biggest traps that you should be aware of that are a danger to your financial wellbeing.”
big bang Ask Ethan: Why couldn’t the Universe have expanded forever?
For 13.8 billion years, the Universe has been expanding. But that couldn't have been the case for an eternity, and science has proven it.
A pencil sketch of a clown with raised arms, wearing a pointed hat and a polka-dot costume, on a blue and off-white background. Why your best ideas come after your worst
It's no wonder great writers swear by messy first drafts.
Out-of-focus trees in the foreground with a clear full moon visible in the dusk sky, evoking a scene worthy of tristan gooley’s natural navigation. Every tree, star, and cloud is a compass — if you know how to read them
Natural navigator Tristan Gooley joins us to discuss the philosophy of reading nature’s hidden clues — and how relearning this ancient skill can help us see the world, and ourselves, with greater awareness.
dark matter 5 undeniable, truthful facts about dark matter
Dark matter has never been directly detected, but the astronomical evidence for its existence is overwhelming. Here's what to know.
The image features the phrase "an excerpt from" on a red background next to the book cover of "Playful" by Cas Holman with Lydia Denworth, highlighting insights from play research. More than a game: How play helps wire our social brains
In this excerpt from "Playful," Cas Holman surveys the research that brought the neuroscience of play into the mainstream.
3 min
Is free will a fallacy? Science and philosophy explain.
Philosophy asks if free will is real. Neuroscience reveals why the answer is more complicated than we expected.
Unlikely Collaborators
A close-up of a spotted nudibranch with translucent, pointed cerata on a brown underwater branch against a black background, inviting reflection on the intricate nature of consciousness in marine life. What sea slugs can teach us about the nature of consciousness
In this excerpt from "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin makes the case that neurons reveal how memory, meaning, and even consciousness emerge from the same biological roots in humans, sea slugs, and beyond.
A detailed black and white illustration of a toad on a green background, with the word "Car" written below it.
3 min
Even AI is self-censoring. Here’s why that matters.
If the people controlling AI are biased, the output will also be. Free speech scholar Jacob Mchangama makes the case for completely open-source AI.
A black background with white text and red lines.
15 min
Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime
"We're living in an extraordinary moment in history. We are at a moment here in 2025 where we have world historic game-changing technologies now starting to scale."
quasar-galaxy hybrid Is our first “galaxy-quasar hybrid” also a Little Red Dot?
Found by Hubble before JWST's launch, GNz7q looked like a mix of a galaxy and a quasar. Was it actually our first known "little red dot"?
25 min
Are we blinded by our desire to find extraterrestrial life?
“Deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question: are we alone?”
Black and white cutout of a smiling man's face with red heart shapes drawn over his eyes on a black background.
17 min
The ancient origins of partnering and romantic love
“No matter what their gods were, what they did for a living, what they wore, the songs they sang, everything varies except love, and everybody loves.”
9 min
Sean Carroll: Can we ever escape the logic of a clockwork universe?
“The universe clicks along in perfect accord with the laws of physics forever.”
A book cover titled "All That We See or Seem" by Ken Liu rests on a light background, beside text reading "an excerpt from" on a vibrant purple background. “All That We See or Seem”: A novel by Ken Liu
A preview of the latest novel by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author.
Aerial view of two groups of people waiting in line and walking on a paved surface, casting long shadows in the sunlight. How to navigate the hidden economics of waiting in line
In this excerpt from "Lucky By Design," Judd Kessler explains how opportunity costs shape our choices and why time is the real price we pay.
A sketch of a seated, nude figure resting their chin on one hand, surrounded by dark shading and a textured background, evokes an atmosphere of philosophy horror. 5 horrifying stories that double as lessons in philosophy
Each of these stories rests on a foundation of great ideas that will scare you to death and make you think.