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A woman with flowers in her hair holds a white mask near her face and smiles, wearing a ruffled pink collar.
3mins
The Well
Why toxic positivity is making us miserable
Toxic positivity isn’t optimism. It’s denial. Historian Kate Bowler explains why our obsession with “good vibes only” is making it harder to cope.
Kate Bowler
A close-up of two hands carving a feathered arrow shaft with a knife against a dark background.
2mins
The Well
The case for canceling censorship
Free speech may be messy, but censorship is deadly. Founder of The Future of Free Speech Jacob Mchangama explains.
Jacob Mchangama
Marble bust of a bearded man with eyes closed and mouth covered by a strip of black tape, set against a black background.
20mins
The Big Think Interview
Are we protecting the vulnerable—or suppressing dissent?
“Even if there are beliefs that we hold that are true, if we prevent people challenging those beliefs, we will lose our understanding of why they're true.”
Peter Singer
5mins
Great Question
People say altruism is selfish. They’re not wrong
“If we didn't find helping other people pleasurable, we wouldn’t be altruistic.”
Abigail Marsh
A mosaic of 36 square tiles, each showing a different fragment of various human faces, combined to create a composite image of diverse facial features.
12mins
The Big Think Interview
Yascha Mounk: The rise of the identity ideology—and why I think it spells trouble
Is “identity synthesis” the remedy for racial injustice? This political scientist says no.
Yascha Mounk
24mins
The Big Think Interview
Sex in 3 places: Your brain, your bedroom, and in society
Mating, monogamy, and maximizing your sexual potential explained by 3 sex experts.
Helen Fisher, Louise Perry & Emily Nagoski
Black cave-painting style drawing of a person shooting arrows at a deer with antlers on a red-orange background.
8mins
The Well
What today’s hunter-gatherers can teach us about modern life
James Suzman lived with a tribe of hunter-gatherers to witness how an ancient culture survives one of the most brutal climates on Earth. His learnings may surprise you.
James Suzman
Illustration of a volcanic eruption with thick clouds of smoke, ash, and flowing lava rising from the volcano’s crater.
6mins
The Well
Stop chasing utopia. Create “protopia” instead.
Pessimism sounds smart. Optimism sounds dumb. Don’t fall for it, says Wired’s Kevin Kelly.
Kevin Kelly
John Templeton Foundation
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