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

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Everything Articles Videos
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7mins
The Well
You have 3 brains. This is how to use them.
You’ve heard about your "lizard brain." But what about the other two?
Robert M Sapolsky
John Templeton Foundation
An abstract figure with a pale face holds its head and screams on a bridge, with swirling blue, orange, and black lines in the background.
9mins
The Well
The biggest myths about emotions, debunked
No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.
Lisa Feldman Barrett
A surreal painting shows a large distorted human face with closed eyes, supported by sticks, floating above a calm landscape with a boat and building in the background.
4mins
The Well
The evolutionary significance of dreaming
Ancient societies revered dreams. Modern science tells us why.
Patrick McNamara
A vintage-style illustration of a child holding up a plate and looking at a ball or orb floating above it, set against a solid blue background.
5mins
The Well
The case against specializing
Geniuses and prodigies are captivating. But generalists rule the world.
David Epstein
John Templeton Foundation
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7mins
The Well
The invisible math that controls the world
This network physicist is mapping the world's most significant data to create the most beautiful visualizations of information we have ever seen.
Albert-László Barabási
John Templeton Foundation
A figure stands beneath a tree with a serpent coiled on the branches, in a dense, shadowy forest clearing.
6mins
The Well
How to live a life you won’t regret
Aimless wandering is essential for understanding yourself. Here’s why.
Bryan Cranston
A hand pinches a small spiral galaxy between its fingers against a background of stars in space.
4mins
The Well
Can you separate science from the scientist?
Science has opened so many doors to humanity’s understanding of the world. Scientism shuts them. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Agustín Fuentes
A pair of scissors appears to cut through a black and white illustration of a DNA double helix.
4mins
The Well
Why gene editing is still humanity’s most powerful tool
Forget AI. Gene editing is still our most powerful — and dangerous — technology.
Walter Isaacson
Two abstract human figures stand next to each other on the left, while a pair of white eyes emerges from a dark, textured background on the right.
6mins
The Well
Every culture has supernatural agents. Here’s why.
From DMT elves, to God, to the figures in our dreams — why are humans so obsessed with the supernatural?
Patrick McNamara
Close-up of a painted eye on a textured surface, featuring green, white, black, and a small area of orange.
5mins
The Well
Why we want the wrong things
Humans, like animals, are driven by instincts. But we also have wants. Here’s what that means for our lives.
Luke Burgis
A realistic illustration of a smoking pipe with the French text "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" written below it on a plain background.
6mins
The Well
The fascinating science of who succeeds in art
This scientist made an algorithm to predict which artists succeed — all without even looking at their art.
Albert-László Barabási
White handwritten text reading "I am not a robot" appears distorted and crossed with a horizontal line, set against a black background with scattered small white dots.
5mins
The Well
AI is smart — but can it think?
How World War II codebreaker Alan Turing invented modern AI.
Michael Wooldridge
Illustration showing human evolution from an ape-like ancestor on all fours to an upright human holding a spear, against a green background.
4mins
The Well
We need a new measure of evolutionary success. Here’s why.
People say we are better off than ever. Are they right?
Agustín Fuentes
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8mins
The Well
The case against trigger warnings
How America became a fragile nation — and how it can get its resilience back.
Jonathan Haidt
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6mins
The Well
The neuroscience of nightmares
This is not your average dream interpreter. Nightmares, as explained by a neuroscientist.
Patrick McNamara
Illustration of two boxers in vintage-style attire, with one boxer extending a punch toward the other against a yellow background.
4mins
The Well
How to argue like a debate world champion
“If intelligence is the ability to respond to any argument, wisdom lies in knowing which parts of an argument to respond to.” Harvard debate coach Bo Seo explains how to argue better.
Bo Seo
Three circular, splattered white shapes on a black background, each labeled with numbers, resembling ink blots or stylized microorganisms.
5mins
The Well
What if we could predict—and cure—all diseases?
This network scientist is creating a map of the human genome, and it could revolutionize the future of healthcare.
Albert-László Barabási
A person in a bowler hat stands before red curtains; next to them is a silhouette with a sky and clouds pattern matching the background.
8mins
The Well
The neuroscience of spiritual experiences
Experimental neuroscientist Patrick McNamara on how we can harness spiritual experiences to explore alternate realities in our minds, and transform our models of the self.
Patrick McNamara
The text "8 BILLION" appears with an illustrated globe replacing the "O" in "BILLION" on a black background.
6mins
The Well
Humans & planet Earth: Do we really know our place?
What beavers and earthworms can teach us about working with, not against, Mother Nature.
Agustín Fuentes
A black-and-white painting depicts a man with tousled hair, a mustache, and a suit with a tie, facing forward against a textured background.
8mins
The Well
Finding the world’s next “hidden genius”
What makes some scientists culturally significant, while others remain in obscurity? Well, there’s a science to it.
Albert-László Barabási
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