The Well

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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.

in partnership with

The Templeton Foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder.

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Ancient DNA just proved that ‘pure genetics’ don’t exist
The oldest bones in Britain share almost no DNA with anyone alive today. Here’s what that tells us about human history, genetics, and ethnic “homelands."

by David Reich

Middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a light blue sweater over a white shirt, standing against a plain light background, looking at the camera.
Everything Articles Videos
A black and white painting of a man with wavy hair, a mustache, and a suit, depicted in a semi-realistic style, evokes the thoughtful air of someone pondering an interpretation of quantum mechanics.
4mins
The Well
Einstein’s beef with quantum physics, explained
Our world would be impossible without quantum mechanics — but we still don’t have a narrative of how it works.
Jim Al-Khalili
John Templeton Foundation
Close-up of a pencil and charcoal drawing showing a detailed human eye on the left side, with textured shading and geometric shapes in the background—capturing the beauty found where science fails to explain human perception.
5mins
The Well
Where science fails, according to a physicist
Why are we here? What is everything made of? This theoretical physicist says science isn’t the right way to answer these questions.
Jim Al-Khalili
John Templeton Foundation
A frayed rope pulled from both ends against a solid orange background, with strands unraveling on each side—capturing the tension felt when you’re learning how to apologize and mend strained connections.
The Well
How apologies save relationships
Dr. Amrisha Vaish explains the science of remorse, guilt, and an effective apology.
Amrisha Vaish
A person in a red robe sits outdoors holding an hourglass, surrounded by greenery and a body of water, symbolizing predictions for the future.
The Well
Michio Kaku: 3 mind-blowing predictions about the future
What lies in store for humanity? Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains how different life will be for your descendants—and maybe your future self, if the timing works out.
Michio Kaku
John Templeton Foundation
A surreal painting ponders is time travel possible, with melting clocks draped over a tree, ledge, and abstract form in a barren landscape against distant cliffs.
The Well
Time travel is possible. Can we go back?
Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.
Brian Greene
John Templeton Foundation
A digital illustration of a stereotypical alien figure, inspired by concepts of extraterrestrial life, featuring a large bald head, big dark eyes, and a small mouth on a pale yellow background.
5mins
The Well
What alien life could teach us about humanity
Dr. Sara Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, who is questioning the very nature of life and how we’re attempting to find it elsewhere.
Sara Walker
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of two hands touching or aligning a series of parallel lines and chevron patterns, all overlaid with a blue filter, evoking the precision and symmetry often found in mathematics.
5mins
The Well
Michio Kaku: Is God a mathematician?
Michio Kaku believes math is the mind of God.
Michio Kaku
John Templeton Foundation
A target with several arrows on the ground nearby and none hitting the bullseye, capturing the joy of being wrong.
3mins
The Well
The joy of being wrong
Arguments on social media are notorious. Can practicing intellectual humility make us smarter and happier? Science says yes.
John Templeton Foundation
Side view X-ray image of a human head and brain in shades of purple, shown against a solid purple background, highlighting the serene focus often seen in meditators.
3mins
The Well
Superhumans: The remarkable brain waves of high-level meditators
Psychologist Daniel Goleman shares what he learned by studying the brain waves of Olympic-level meditators, and his findings are unprecedented.
Daniel Goleman
John Templeton Foundation
A black-and-white abstract image featuring a dense field of small dots and a central dark oval, evoking the mysterious allure of black holes, surrounded by a lighter, glowing area.
The Well
What’s inside black holes?
To understand the edges of our universe, we’ll need to explore the edges of our own philosophies.
Avi Loeb
John Templeton Foundation
A black-and-white drawing of four students sitting at desks, each wearing helmet-like devices with wires extending upward, as if tapping into their intelligence.
8mins
The Well
There are 8 classes of intelligence. Which are you?
IQ tests only measure two of the eight intelligences. Howard Gardner explains them all.
Howard Gardner
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of a woman holding up a balance scale, symbolizing justice, on a yellow background.
5mins
The Well
Your moral compass could be broken
People rarely question their own moral compass. But do you know what shapes yours?
Liane Young
John Templeton Foundation
Black line drawing of a person with a long nose, reminiscent of Pinocchio, wiping tears from their face against a solid green background, illustrating the impact of honesty on child development principles.
5mins
The Well
3 great untruths to stop telling kids—and ourselves
These psychological principles can unlock your resiliency.
Jonathan Haidt
John Templeton Foundation
A vintage-style illustration of a man in a suit with a mustache and top hat, the top of his head open as colorful smoke swirls out, symbolizing creativity.
3mins
The Well
How Picasso and Beethoven hacked creativity
Anyone can learn from this creativity challenge.
Anthony Brandt
John Templeton Foundation
Geometric abstract design featuring overlapping white wireframe curves forming a symmetrical star shape on a black background, evoking the cosmic elegance of the big bang.
The Well
The great Big Bang misconception
Thanks to time-traveling telescopes, we can see more about the Big Bang.
Michelle Thaller
John Templeton Foundation
A man in a suit rides a comet with a face through a star-filled night sky, reflecting on lessons learned from space travel; a top hat floats nearby as the moon smiles in the background.
The Well
How looking at 4 billion years of Earth’s history changes you
Astronaut Chris Hadfield shares how living in space has bettered his life on Earth.
Chris Hadfield
John Templeton Foundation
A person stands in front of a large face, peering into an oversized monocle held by a giant hand, as if searching for traces of free will within the magnified gaze.
5mins
The Well
Is free will an illusion?
Philosophers have been making the claim that free will is an illusion for hundreds of years. Dr. Uri Maoz shares what modern neuroscience has to say about it.
Dr. Uri Maoz
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of a human brain, drawn with black ink lines on a solid orange background, symbolizing intellectual life.
5mins
The Well
How to live an intellectual life
According to Zena Hitz, the idea of the intellectual has become distorted. She believes “the real thing is something more extraordinary but also more available to us.”
Zena Hitz
John Templeton Foundation
Bronze sculpture of a seated man resting his chin on one hand, appearing deep in thought and embodying genius traits, against a plain background.
2mins
The Well
The common character trait of geniuses
James Gleick, the author of biographies of Isaac Newton and Richard Feynman, discusses what they and other geniuses have in common.
James Gleick
John Templeton Foundation
Learn from the world’s biggest thinkers.
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