Philosophy

Philosophy

Examine life’s biggest questions, from ethics to existence, with curiosity and critical thinking.

Illustration of a person's silhouette with geometric shapes and a smaller head profile inside, set against a textured beige background with abstract black lines.
Neuroscientist Christof Koch on why reflective self-consciousness separates us from intelligent machines.
The book cover of "Love Thy Stranger" by Bart D. Ehrman features a painting of four biblical figures and the subtitle, inspired by the command to "love thy stranger," exploring how Jesus’ teachings transformed Western moral conscience.
Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman contends that our modern sense of altruism can be traced back to the radical shift in ethical thinking sparked by Jesus' teachings.
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The image you're seeing isn't a hole in the Universe, and the cosmic voids that do exist aren't hole-like at all.
A round, abstract blue structure with numerous flowing, curly strands extends outward against a solid black background, evoking the dynamic intelligence of BrainMaxxing AI.
While LooksMaxxing often headlines the news, the idea of BrainMaxxing deserves real attention. Growing your mind never goes out of style.
We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: general relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don't work together.
Looking up at the night sky gives us a glimpse of the Universe beyond our terrestrial concerns. Here's the science of what's out there.
No matter what physical system we consider, nature always obeys the same fundamental laws. Must it be this way, and if so, why?
A collage featuring classical illustrations: a muscular figure holding up a map, fragments of text, silhouettes, a ship drawing, and tree branches on a green background.
Classic literature reveals how resilience can be both a source of strength in troubled times — and a dangerous ideal.
A small human figure stands at the base of a very tall tree, emphasizing the tree’s large size against a background with faint grid lines.
Every generation has faced a version of this moment — the question has never been what our tools can do, but what we choose to do with them.
Book cover of "Emergence" by David Sussillo, featuring a blue background with fish and circuit patterns, and a subtitle about boyhood, computation, and the mysteries of mind.
In this preview, the Stanford professor muses on how emergence, arriving at complex patterns from simple parts, explains AI, brains, and life itself.
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Over billions of years, fewer stars form, galaxies mutually recede, and the Universe becomes ever darker. Here's how fast it all happens.
Book cover of "No Friend to This House" by Natalie Haynes, featuring an ornate dagger, decorative lines, and a quote noting her as the bestselling author of "Stone Blind." A striking design hints that danger is no friend of this house.
A preview of the latest novel by the New York Times bestselling author.
A blue hand holding a tool touches a red illustrated brain, with brain wave patterns shown in the background.
A new framework suggests that bursts of neural chaos could be the fingerprints of a conscious mind at work.
Text reads "follow the rules?" with "follow" underlined twice and a question mark after "rules" drawn in red. The simple beige background highlights the message—a subtle nod to good writing and when to challenge conventions.
Anne Lamott and Neal Allen join us to discuss why embracing constraints can be the best way to find freedom in the craft.
No civilization, no matter how successful, can last forever. What does the non-detection of intelligent aliens mean for our own longevity?
A person with purple hands holds a phone displaying text messages that read, "OMG then what happened??.
Throughout history, the ability to tell increasingly believable stories has become available to more people. Kevin Ashton says that’s a blessing and a curse.
A hand holds a red square above an eye shape, symbolizing the brain after blindness, with a geometric wireframe cube below on a blue circle, all set against a pale green background.
When people born blind gain sight, the hardest part isn’t opening their eyes — it’s teaching the brain how to see.