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Philosophy
13.8 billion years ago, the hot Big Bang gave rise to the Universe we know. Here's why the reverse, a Big Crunch, isn't how it will end.
Pseudoscience is science’s shadow.
Searching for truth in unorthodox ways can be a valuable exercise. But Anatoly Fomenko's alternate world history is just plain weird.
Geopolitics is not a magic 8-ball. But making financial decisions — such as those regarding retirement — in a multipolar world without geopolitics is akin to flying blind in a storm.
Signals from the environment, such as those detected by your sense organs, have no inherent psychological meaning. Your brain creates the meaning.
John Templeton Foundation
"I believe our society's gotten to the point where you can't question. You can't provoke. You just have to adhere to consensus."
Stand Together
Everything is made of matter, not antimatter, including black holes. If antimatter black holes existed, what would they do?
When faced with too many choices, many of us freeze — a phenomenon known as "analysis paralysis." Why? Isn't choice a good thing?
Do the laws of physics place a hard limit on how far technology can advance, or can we re-write those laws?
"A cheap loan is beyond all new destiny." Does that mean anything to you?
Science has come a long way since Mary Shelley penned "Frankenstein." But we still grapple with the same questions.
To the ancient Greeks, exotic animals were proof of mythological creatures. To the ancient Romans, they were oddities and adversaries.
Hoarders know their habits are abnormal, and yet they cannot help themselves. Maybe you can help them.
Basic and breath-taking – Dr. Frank Wilczek addresses symmetry’s critical role in nature’s laws and what we consider to be beautiful.
John Templeton Foundation
From machines to animals, there are many kinds of possible minds.
Popular media often frame scientists as having a cold, sterile view of the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
John Templeton Foundation
Were Hitler’s SS henchmen willing executioners fueled by racial propaganda or mindless servants vying for promotions?
In Sun-like stars, hydrogen gets fused into helium. In the Big Bang, hydrogen fusion also makes helium. But they aren't close to the same.
4mins
Our world would be impossible without quantum mechanics — but we still don’t have a narrative of how it works.
John Templeton Foundation
Speculation about the existence of aliens goes all the way back at least to the Greek philosophers. Their arguments will sound familiar.
Safety through technology is no bad thing—Nietzsche himself sought doctors and medicines throughout his life—but it can become pathological.
Equations that describe time travel are fully compatible and consistent with relativity — but physics is not mathematics.
5mins
Why are we here? What is everything made of? This theoretical physicist says science isn’t the right way to answer these questions.
John Templeton Foundation
Many contemporary composers live in the shadow of Bach and Beethoven, even though they’re just as interesting to listen to.
Mathematics and religion both embody awe-inspiring, eternal truths.
John Templeton Foundation
If secrets are a kind of poison, confession is the antidote.
Is college worth it? This question may seem a no-brainer, but there are many reasons why it is worthy of serious deliberation. Here are three.