Thinking

Think of the nicest person you know. The person who would fit into any group configuration, who no one can dislike, or who makes a room warmer and happier just […]

Our brains make snap moral decisions in mere seconds.

Escaping the marshmallow brain trap.

Philosophers, theoretical physicists, psychologists, and others consider what or who is really in control.

The ‘reasonable person’ represents someone who is both common and good.

How the German political philosopher called out Henry David Thoreau on civil disobedience.

There is no success without failure, but the fear of the latter is what’s really keeping you from achieving your goals.

Being skeptical isn’t just about being contrarian. It’s about asking the right questions of ourselves and others to gain understanding.

Most people seem to enjoy liberalism and its spin offs, but what is it exactly? Where did the idea come from?

And if they could, would they care, asks philosopher John Gray in his new book.

Technology of the future is shaped by the questions we ask and the ethical decisions we make today.

How does philosophy try to balance having free will with living in a deterministic universe?

It’s a common misconception that to be a Stoic is to be in possession of a stiff upper lip.

What can ‘behaviorism’ teach us about ourselves?

Life is absurd, that detail can be the start of a great many things.

Lovers are parted from lovers, (grand)parents from children, families from their dead.

Should we all be “taking life as it comes”?

Knowing what to do is one thing, doing it is another.

To understand ourselves and our place in the universe, “we should have humility but also self-respect,” Frank Wilczek writes in a new book.

The Persian polymath and philosopher of the Islamic Golden Age teaches us about self-awareness.

Imagine Heraclitus spending an afternoon down by the river…

Learn how to practice “self-indifference.”

Nihilism is not a choice or intellectual commitment, but a feeling that simply arrives.

For centuries, universities have advanced humanity toward truth. Professor Jonathan Haidt speaks to why college campuses are suddenly heading in the opposite direction.

Some volunteers performed above chance. They weren’t the psychics.

Take a journey through the maze of interpretations of one of the most famous paintings in history.

The author of “Auroville: The City Made of Dreams” talks about the difficulties of establishing (and writing about) utopian societies.

Is death the final frontier? We ask scientists, philosophers, and spiritual leaders about life after death.

Scientists ripped up kids’ drawings. This is what they learned about relationships.

Monogamy is often considered a key component of traditional marriages, but it’s only half the story.