Search
Philosophy
Life arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where's everyone else?
Even with the best technology imaginable, you'd probably never be able to exist as a consciously aware brain in a vat.
Total eclipses are a product of a strange and almost eerie cosmic coincidence — one that makes Earth an even rarer world in the galaxy and, by proxy, in the Universe.
When does "oversharing" become an issue?
Bob Dylan gave us the paradoxical gem "there's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all." He had a point.
From Taoism to hedonism, philosophers have devised all sorts of ways to live your best life.
A physicist, a psychologist, and a philosopher walk into a bar and discuss a framework for thinking better in the 21st century.
The Universe is expanding, and the Hubble constant tells us how fast. But how can it be a constant if the expansion is accelerating?
Nicole has been dating someone for a while but it's not working out from her point of view. Is sudden radio silence an ethical option?
Irene is on a bus with her young kids when two men come on, cussing like sailors. Should Irene step in and say something?
Rich is brilliant at his job. He completes work in half the time of his coworkers. Should he have to sit at his desk just as long?
It’s not enough just to stay current and competitive with AI — you’ll also need to build a long-term strategy.
Claims circulating on the Internet — some from dentists' websites — suggest toothpaste isn't necessary for dental health. Is that true?
Since 1962, humanity has been sending messages into space with the intent to make contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. Are those efforts worth the risks?
When is a rabbit not a rabbit? When it's a thought experiment designed to reveal the tricky tango of language and concepts.
Is the Universe finite or infinite? Does it go on forever or loop back on itself? Here's what would happen if you traveled forever.
Japanese thought can’t be easily characterized by just a few books — but this essential guide is a great place to start.
No matter how good our measurement devices get, certain quantum properties always possess an inherent uncertainty. Can we figure out why?
"Hardcore History" host Dan Carlin recently spoke with Big Think about the history of humanity's drive to create — and whether or not we can control it.
11mins
“Forget about essences.” Philosopher Daniel Dennett on how modern-day philosophers should be more collaborative with scientists if they want to make revolutionary developments in their fields.
There are so many problems, all across planet Earth, that harm and threaten humanity. Why invest in researching the Universe?
Step back from the AI maelstrom and explore Lem’s "Summa Technologiae" for a detached look at technology’s role in human evolution.
This map samples some of the digits that make up the DDC system, invented by the brilliant but flawed Melvil Dewey.
The old certainties of “business as usual” have been crushed by disruption — here's a strategy for resilience.
The Universe is 13.8 billion years old, going back to the hot Big Bang. But was that truly the beginning, and is that truly its age?
The "first cause" problem may forever remain unsolved, as it doesn’t fit with the way we do science.
Kahneman was a world-changing psychologist — even with his lesser known ideas on life satisfaction.
Some physicists are besot with the multiverse, but if we can't detect these other universes, how seriously should we take them?
First derived by Emmy Noether, for every symmetry a theory possesses, there's an associated conserved quantity. Here's the profound link.