Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Welcome to The Well, a publication by the John Templeton Foundation and Big Think.
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Featured Interviews
“Throughout time, we earthlings have all sort of come to the same points in the year, and the same points in life to mark…
Disparate cultures, who had no way of communicating, found the same moments to create ceremonies and traditions around. Birth, coming of age, death- and also the solstices and equinoxes. So many of our rituals and traditions are about processing change and coming to terms with who we are on this little, particular planet.”
Author
Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist noted for his research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and[…]
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Julia Galef is a New York-based writer and public speaker specializing in science, rationality, and design. She serves on the board of directors of the New York City Skeptics, co-hosts[…]
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Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator[…]
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Featured Article
From politics to culture, we blame “tribalism” for humanity’s problems. This explanation is entirely wrong.
“How we talk about society’s problems matters.
Invoking the notion of ‘tribalism’ for the world’s current problems is misleading at best and insulting at worst.”
Anthropologist
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Thank you all for an incredible summer! We’ve had a wonderful season sharing new original videos with some of the biggest thinkers of our time in science, philosophy, art, math,…
From nothing to everything: How zero changed our understanding of the universe, forever:
What would the world be like if we focused on “the inherent beauty of math,” rather than its technical aspects? A statistician reflects:
Statistician Talithia Williams on how math is the clearest path to understanding our existence.
How do scientists measure and define life in the natural world? Dr. Lee Cronin gives us a definition, in 4 minutes:
Algorithms dictate a lot more than your social media feeds. Here’s how to win back your agency.
“I’m not 100% comfortable saying that, but it’s fun.” Chemist Lee Cronin on his bold theory on the ever-expanding universe.
Our predetermined view of what we are capable of is severely limiting our human potential, says neuroscientist.
All Stories
This network scientist is creating a map of the human genome, and it could revolutionize the future of healthcare.
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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.
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Considering the perspectives of others has important benefits for individuals and for society. There is one easy way to do it.
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What beavers and earthworms can teach us about working with, not against, Mother Nature.
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What makes some scientists culturally significant, while others remain in obscurity? Well, there’s a science to it.
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It has perhaps never been easier to feel as if you’ve fallen behind in life. From the anxieties of comparing yourself to others online to our fetishization of success, it […]
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Find food, have sex, not die. That’s pretty much all we need to do — but why do we make it so complicated?
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Tim Ferriss has interviewed some of the most powerful thinkers in the world. This is what he learnt about how they operate.
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History’s most remarkable leaders had this one trait in common. We can harness it too.
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We are ~99% genetically identical to chimpanzees. But there are three key traits that separate us.
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Intellectual humility demands that we examine our motivations for holding certain beliefs.
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Frank Wilczek is celebrated for his investigations into the fundamental laws of nature that have transformed our understanding of the forces that govern our Universe. In this video, the MIT […]
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“I am an anthropologist, and for years, I have spoken to people who have had these experiences.”
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Poker pro Maria Konnikova on how to recognize which details matter and master the science of deduction.
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The answer to the age-old philosophical question of whether there is meaning in the Universe may ultimately rest upon the power of information.
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Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky on the science of temptation, and the limitations of your brain’s frontal cortex.
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Left–Right, Back–Forth, Up–Down. What’s the fourth dimension?
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Make it simple. Make it clear. Make it stick. Alan Alda on how to get everyone to understand your thoughts.
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“What you pay attention to, is your life.” Where do you place precious brain resources?
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“There’s a sense of crisis today that we did not have in the 1980’s or 90’s” — economist Tyler Cowen on progress in America.
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Why do so many cultures celebrate holidays at the same time of year?
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In 1965, six boys were stranded on an island. Fifteen months later, the survivors were rescued. How many were there?
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If your inner voice is cruel, try these steps to reclaim your mind.
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Think via Bayes’ rule to become more rational and less brainwashed.
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Pessimism sounds smart. Optimism sounds dumb. Don’t fall for it, says Wired’s Kevin Kelly.
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We don’t need one Elon Musk. We need 8 billion empathic futurists.
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A psychiatrist studied 1,000 near-death experiences. Here’s what he discovered.
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CRISPR’s gene drive can defy evolution. Here’s how, explained by Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna.
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The ultimate definition of trauma, explained by leading psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk.
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To be happy, you have to become antifragile first. Harvard’s Tal Ben-Shahar explains.
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