Philosophy

Philosophy

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

Venerated astrophysicist Carl Sagan entertained the possibility.
Cherenkov neutrino radiation
Before we discovered gravitational waves, multi-messenger astronomy got its start with light and particles arriving from the same event.
There's no escaping the death of loved ones. But that doesn't mean we're powerless in the wake of loss.
We can never hope for a future with no problems. The solutions to problems create new problems, which in turn require new solutions, as WIRED founder Kevin Kelly explained recently.
Fiona Broome remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s (he didn't). Oddly, many people had the same false memory.
People think that unhappiness causes our minds to wander, but what if the causation goes the other way?
connected entangled pair
They say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. But thanks to these three pioneers in quantum entanglement, perhaps we do.
Salvator Mundi detail
"Salvator Mundi" sold for a record-breaking $450 million in 2017, but is it really as valuable as people were led to believe?
universe temperature
In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.
Reading between the lines of Dorothy’s adventure to the Emerald City.
Million Stories
Women have made incredible gains into STEM fields, but they continue to face gender biases in the workplace.
Sigmund Freud statue
Sigmund Freud developed the decidedly unscientific principles of psychoanalysis in a time when most psychologists were trying to join the ranks of chemists and medical doctors.
universe
The Big Bang is commonly misunderstood, warping our understanding about the Universe's size and shape.
We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: General Relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don't work together.
Scallop shells have accompanied pilgrims to and from Santiago de Compostela for centuries, for more than one reason
A vintage illustration of a person's head in profile, with diagrams of astronomical and conceptual systems overlaying the brain to evoke themes of consciousness, set against a yellow background.
8mins
Is science destined to crack the code of consciousness—and how would we even go about it?
John Templeton Foundation