The Well

Big Think Home
A microscope, Earth, and a colorful arc appear against a starry black space background.
White text reads "The Well" with a circular swirl design behind the text on a light background.
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.

Read More
White lines radiate outward from a central point on a blue gradient background, resembling a geometric starburst or abstract sunburst design.
Ancient DNA just proved that ‘pure genetics’ don’t exist
The oldest bones in Britain share almost no DNA with anyone alive today. Here’s what that tells us about human history, genetics, and ethnic “homelands."

by David Reich

Middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a light blue sweater over a white shirt, standing against a plain light background, looking at the camera.
Everything Articles Videos
A woman with glasses stands in profile against a dark background with illustrated yellow stars scattered beside her.
The Well
What happens when we admit we don’t know?
Kelly Corrigan on why humility fuels curiosity — and how to cultivate these qualities in an age of certainty.
Kelly Corrigan & Lee Helland
John Templeton Foundation
A historical illustration shows a crowd gathered outdoors, with a separate close-up of hands sorting through documents at a desk.
The Well
America already has the tools to heal division — we just need to relearn how to use them
Governance scholar and University of Pittsburgh professor Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Ph.D. on the forces that decide whether conflicted nations unify or unravel.
Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili
John Templeton Foundation
A painting of a man with a beard.
The Well
Is the universe conscious? Panpsychism, religion, and the modern search for meaning
Panpsychist philosopher Philip Goff, PhD on mysticism and the future of faith.
Philip Goff & Lee Helland
John Templeton Foundation
Pencil drawing of an adult hand holding a child's hand, surrounded by colorful, illustrated borders with various faces and map elements.
The Well
Can picture books change the world?
Sikh American scholar and historian Simran Jeet Singh on helping kids imagine — and create — a more empathetic world.
Simran Jeet Singh
John Templeton Foundation
A human silhouette filled with birds and insects is overlaid with a circular target, binary code, and abstract shapes against a sky background with clouds.
The Well
Social media supercharged our disagreements. Could AI help us resolve them?
Duke sociologist Dr. Christopher Bail on the tech’s potential to foster empathy in an age of division.
Christopher Bail & Lee Helland
John Templeton Foundation
The Well
Actually, neuroscience suggests “the self” is real
If the "self" is not real, then we are slaves to a billiard ball universe, trapped in a nihilistic nightmare in which we cannot change our fate.
Bobby Azarian
John Templeton Foundation
Two men standing on top of a mountain with a torch.
The Well
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can illuminate the debate over generative AI
Humanity is never fully in control of its creations. This lesson from Mary Shelley has remained relevant for over 200 years.
Jennifer Banks
John Templeton Foundation
A statue of justice holding scales on a blue background.
The Well
Few of us desire true equality. It’s time to own up to it
Is true equality achievable — or even desirable? Go on a journey through the strange and unsettling "Land of Justice."
Peter Cave
John Templeton Foundation
An image of a sunset through a window.
The Well
The case for “dusking”: In a world of light and noise, embracing the dark can be healing
How the simple act of watching twilight can radically transform our perception of the world and our role within it.
Marjolijn van Heemstra
John Templeton Foundation
A drawing of a man with a beard and a pot.
The Well
Respect alchemy. The crazy, criminal pursuit gave us modern science
Alchemy had its golden age in the 17th century, when it counted Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle among its adherents.
James Hannam
John Templeton Foundation
a picture of a man with a hat and a tarot card.
The Well
Is atheism destroying the moral fabric of society?
The debate goes back at least 400 years.
Michael McGhee
John Templeton Foundation
two hands reaching out to each other in front of a colorful background.
The Well
AI must be emotionally intelligent before it is super-intelligent
Sophia, the humanoid robot, is not just mirroring emotions; she's leading a revolution in emotional intelligence.
Julia Mossbridge
John Templeton Foundation
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Learn from the world’s biggest thinkers.
© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.