Philosophy

Philosophy

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

A metallic, blindfolded bust of a person is shown against a black background, symbolizing justice, impartiality, and the resolve to turn the other cheek in the face of adversity.
5mins
When should we seek justice, and when should we forgive? A bishop explains.
John Templeton Foundation
There's an extremely good chance that there is, or at least was, life on Mars. But is it native to Mars, or did it originate from Earth?
upload brain
Uploading your mind is not a pathway to immortality. Instead, it will create a possibly hostile digital doppelgänger.
pulse light quantum tunnel barrier
In all the Universe, only a few particles are eternally stable. The photon, the quantum of light, has an infinite lifetime. Or does it?
What we call "basic research" is actually the most cutting-edge. It underpins knowledge, and without it, technology does not come into being.
moral panic
Moral panics about the content of children's cartoons and other forms of entertainment have a long history.
Scientific journals, which are supposed to be the sacred scriptures of academia, are often full of shoddy research and misinformation.
For decades people have arranged to freeze their bodies after death, dreaming of resurrection by advanced future medicine. Many met a fate far grislier than death.
The answer is both disappointing and exciting.
5mins
The first human that isn’t an Earthling could be in our lifetime.
Maxar
A close-up of a painted human arm and hand reaching out with extended fingers against a light, cracked background.
5mins
Atheists are not immune from supernatural thinking.
Long before Christopher and Magellan, ancient explorers voyaged into the unknown and brought home extraordinary tales.
kaizen
If Rome was not built in a day, why do you think you can be?
A painting of an elderly man with long white hair and beard, wearing a red robe, surrounded by clouds with a halo above his head, set against a soft green sky—inviting reflection on beliefs and the types of atheism.
Just as there are many types of believers, there's not only one type of atheist.
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of large, mechanical tripod machines with glowing eyes detecting life as they shoot a beam of light at a smoking building, causing sparks and destruction.
The emergence of life in the universe is as certain as the emergence of matter, gravity, and the stars. Life is the universe developing a memory, and our chemical detection system could find it.
John Templeton Foundation
Evolutionary psychology could explain those otherworldly feelings.
free will
There are two conceptions of free will: "straight" and "mixed."
A nude figure with outstretched arms stands against a sky with rainbows and flying birds, evoking a sense of belief in the supernatural.
4mins
From superstition to religion, we are surrounded by supernatural thinking. Is that a bad thing?
John Templeton Foundation