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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:
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Evolution doesn’t fix things — it reinvents them. A biologist explains.
John Templeton Foundation
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We know that humans are an intelligent species. But this biologist breaks down the intelligence of each of our cells — and it will blow your mind.
Alchemy had its golden age in the 17th century, when it counted Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle among its adherents.
John Templeton Foundation
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Modern life replaced spirituality with goal-setting — and it’s making us depressed. Here’s how to win back your happiness.
The debate goes back at least 400 years.
John Templeton Foundation
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Hustle culture is part of our DNA — but it’s making us unhappy. Yale psychologist Laurie Santos explains how to escape your inner drill sergeant and find peace in imperfection.
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Your "social reality" isn’t an absolute reality. A leading neuroscientist explains why.
Sophia, the humanoid robot, is not just mirroring emotions; she's leading a revolution in emotional intelligence.
John Templeton Foundation
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Knowing your key strengths can make you happy in anything you do. Here’s how to identify them.
The crisis of the Anthropocene challenges our traditional narratives and myths about humanity's place in the world. Citizen science can help.
John Templeton Foundation
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What sets trauma apart from regular bad experiences? A leading neuroscientist explains.
Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.
John Templeton Foundation
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If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.
Unlock the paradoxes of life through poetic realism.
John Templeton Foundation
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Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.
“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself — and there isn’t one.”
John Templeton Foundation
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Your brain isn’t wired for happiness — but you can change that, explains Yale scientist Laurie Santos.
John Templeton Foundation
Spiritual experiences can be explained in terms of a highly evolved brain. But they also can be extremely meaningful.
John Templeton Foundation
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You’ve heard about your "lizard brain." But what about the other two?
John Templeton Foundation
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No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.