Philosophy

Philosophy

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

I polled today.
Predictive power has perverse, anti-democratic consequences. So be a good citizen and lie to election pollsters.
A frisson-inducing crowd at a music festival.
Listening to some songs can cause a powerful physiological response known as "frisson." What is it, and why does it happen?
Edwin Hubble and Andromeda galaxy
The first observational evidence showing the Universe is expanding is 100 years old now: in 2023. Here's the story of its 100th anniversary.
a painting of a naked man holding a sword.
Explore how belief shapes destiny, from Oedipus Rex to modern geopolitics.
Illustration of an astronaut being propelled through a futuristic, tunnel-like structure against a black background.
9mins
Ever wonder what would happen if we got sucked into a black hole? Turns out we could live in it for a while — if it was big enough.
A monochrome picture depicting a band embracing the philosophy of music.
Music is part of the human experience, which is why some philosophers have written about it. Some had wacky ideas.
A man is using mitti attar on a clay pot in front of a fire.
In Kannauj, perfumers have been making monsoon-infused mitti attar for centuries.
A faint, grayscale image of a classical statue’s face with soft features and minimal details visible against a plain background.
4mins
How do “you” emerge from a collection of cells? A biologist explains.
A woman poses in front of the letter x in a black and white photo.
The use of the letter x as an unknown is a relatively modern convention.
A woman reading news with a cup of coffee.
We can no longer approach the news as passive consumers.
Ice harvesters once made a living from frozen lakes and ponds, but the work was strenuous and dangerous. Then refrigeration changed everything.
An image of the earth resonating in space.
The Schumann resonances are the background hum of the entire planet. But they don't affect humans in any way.
Gamma rays in the milky way.
As Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery… consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
A set of colorful file folders arranged using the para method on a white background.
How we organize all our digital stuff — from work research to side hustles to family photos — is key to our productivity.
Two mirrored human faces with dotted lines and patterns radiating outward, set against a solid blue background, suggesting connectivity or symmetry.
6mins
Scientists can't define spirituality. But we can study its healing effects, says this Columbia psychologist.
atom quantum
The visible Universe extends 46.1 billion light-years from us, while we've probed scales down to as small as ~10^-19 meters.
Cephalic Index World Map
These landscapes — of geographical differences in head shapes — have vanished from acceptable science (and cartography).
Cupid and Psyche statue
Philosophy can focus on some dull topics. Luckily, some thinkers have spent lots of time on the philosophy of sex