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Ideas that inspire a life well-lived
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional?
Life’s biggest questions rarely have simple answers. That is precisely why they continue to occupy the world’s most thoughtful minds. The Well is a place to engage those questions, drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and the humanities.
Created by the John Templeton Foundation in partnership with Big Think, The Well brings together ideas that inspire deeper understanding and a more considered approach to living.
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The Templeton Foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder.
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:
35mins
Dispatches host Kmele Foster is on a journey to understand humanity’s role in the cosmos. His first stop? The Atacama Plateau in Northern Chile, home to the darkest deserts and largest telescopes on earth.
3mins
Yes, you CAN be a “math person” — as long as you follow these learning techniques.
11mins
"Resilience" is being able to withstand hardship; "antifragility" goes one step further.
If the "self" is not real, then we are slaves to a billiard ball universe, trapped in a nihilistic nightmare in which we cannot change our fate.
John Templeton Foundation
6mins
We’re often ashamed to say, “I don’t know” — but this professional poker player thinks it’s one of our greatest strengths.
5mins
There are 3 key principles that separate a good conversation from a great one — and they’ll completely change how you communicate.
5mins
NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains what happens when the densest stars in the galaxy collide.
Humanity is never fully in control of its creations. This lesson from Mary Shelley has remained relevant for over 200 years.
John Templeton Foundation
6mins
From marketing to social media, today’s world preys on your values. Here’s how to reclaim them and find true happiness.
6mins
A physicist discusses the boundaries of reality and experimentation.
12mins
Quantum wormholes are mathematically possible — but might also be physically impossible. Physicist Janna Levin explains Hawking’s famous information paradox.
Is true equality achievable — or even desirable? Go on a journey through the strange and unsettling "Land of Justice."
John Templeton Foundation
5mins
Do humans share one consciousness? This psychologist says yes.
5mins
Gravity defies quantum mechanics. What does that mean for a theory of everything?
7mins
This biologist built a living robot from frog cells — and it could hold the key to the future of regenerative medicine.
9mins
Ever wonder what would happen if we got sucked into a black hole? Turns out we could live in it for a while — if it was big enough.
4mins
How do “you” emerge from a collection of cells? A biologist explains.
6mins
Scientists can't define spirituality. But we can study its healing effects, says this Columbia psychologist.
9mins
Spirituality declines, depression rises. Is there a link?
How the simple act of watching twilight can radically transform our perception of the world and our role within it.
John Templeton Foundation