The Well

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Ideas that inspire a life well-lived

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional?

Life’s biggest questions rarely have simple answers. That is precisely why they continue to occupy the world’s most thoughtful minds. The Well is a place to engage those questions, drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and the humanities.

Created by the John Templeton Foundation in partnership with Big Think, The Well brings together ideas that inspire deeper understanding and a more considered approach to living.

in partnership with

The Templeton Foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder.

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What living systems teach us about true agency
Our ability to build machine intelligence has outrun our ability to understand it. Professor Alan Love, director of the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, thinks biology can help close that gap.

by Alan Love

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Everything Articles Videos
an illustration of a hand holding a globe.
The Well
The hero of the Anthropocene has 8 billion faces — one of them is yours
The crisis of the Anthropocene challenges our traditional narratives and myths about humanity's place in the world. Citizen science can help.
Mary Ellen Hannibal
John Templeton Foundation
Two detailed anatomical illustrations show human heads: one sliced horizontally to reveal the brain, and the other showing exposed facial muscles, bones, and tissue.
5mins
The Well
The neuroscience of trauma
What sets trauma apart from regular bad experiences? A leading neuroscientist explains.
Lisa Feldman Barrett
an image of an alien flying over a pyramid.
The Well
Theology professor: “Ancient Aliens” is fantasy fiction for atheists
Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.
Stephen Bullivant
John Templeton Foundation
Eight burnt matchsticks stand upright on an orange background, with the last match forming a scattered, crumbling silhouette.
6mins
The Well
Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back
If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.
Laurie Santos
a painting of a landscape with mountains and rain.
The Well
Why the search for meaning is not a job for science — or religion
Unlock the paradoxes of life through poetic realism.
Jennifer Michael Hecht
John Templeton Foundation
Black and white vintage illustration of a human brain viewed from the side, set against a solid light pink background.
7mins
The Well
An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes
Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.
Lisa Feldman Barrett
a painting of a man standing next to a tree.
The Well
Eastern philosophy says there is no “self.” Science agrees
“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself — and there isn’t one.”
Chris Niebauer
John Templeton Foundation
Detailed black and white sketch of a baboon’s head in profile, showing its expressive face and rough fur, on a solid yellow background.
8mins
The Well
Why humans are surprisingly bad at being happy
Your brain isn’t wired for happiness — but you can change that, explains Yale scientist Laurie Santos.
Laurie Santos
John Templeton Foundation
a painting of a boat floating on a body of water.
The Well
I’m “spiritual but not religious.” Here’s what that means for a physicist
Spiritual experiences can be explained in terms of a highly evolved brain. But they also can be extremely meaningful.
Alan Lightman
John Templeton Foundation
Three illustrated human brains in a row on an orange background.
7mins
The Well
You have 3 brains. This is how to use them.
You’ve heard about your "lizard brain." But what about the other two?
Robert M Sapolsky
John Templeton Foundation
An abstract figure with a pale face holds its head and screams on a bridge, with swirling blue, orange, and black lines in the background.
9mins
The Well
The biggest myths about emotions, debunked
No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.
Lisa Feldman Barrett
a flock of pink birds flying through a cloudy sky.
The Well
Groupthink is for mindless pawns, but group thinking will push humanity further
"Groupthink" gets a bad rap. In reality, we need groups to focus our thinking and to build on the ideas of others.
Carolina Flores
John Templeton Foundation
A surreal painting shows a large distorted human face with closed eyes, supported by sticks, floating above a calm landscape with a boat and building in the background.
4mins
The Well
The evolutionary significance of dreaming
Ancient societies revered dreams. Modern science tells us why.
Patrick McNamara
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5mins
The Well
The case against specializing
Geniuses and prodigies are captivating. But generalists rule the world.
David Epstein
John Templeton Foundation
Close-up of a classical painting depicting a sleeping child with curly blonde hair, rosy cheeks, and closed eyes—lying on their side against a dark background, capturing the peaceful transition between wakefulness and consciousness.
The Well
When do humans become conscious — in the womb or after birth?
Neuroscience is beginning to provide clues about the emergence of human consciousness.
Tim Bayne
John Templeton Foundation
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7mins
The Well
The invisible math that controls the world
This network physicist is mapping the world's most significant data to create the most beautiful visualizations of information we have ever seen.
Albert-László Barabási
John Templeton Foundation
A figure stands beneath a tree with a serpent coiled on the branches, in a dense, shadowy forest clearing.
6mins
The Well
How to live a life you won’t regret
Aimless wandering is essential for understanding yourself. Here’s why.
Bryan Cranston
a man with glasses is looking out a window.
The Well
The Axial Age: With the birth of rational thinking, what happened to imagination?
Man does not live by measurement alone.
Gary Lachman
John Templeton Foundation
A hand pinches a small spiral galaxy between its fingers against a background of stars in space.
4mins
The Well
Can you separate science from the scientist?
Science has opened so many doors to humanity’s understanding of the world. Scientism shuts them. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Agustín Fuentes
A pair of scissors appears to cut through a black and white illustration of a DNA double helix.
4mins
The Well
Why gene editing is still humanity’s most powerful tool
Forget AI. Gene editing is still our most powerful — and dangerous — technology.
Walter Isaacson
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