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.

with

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

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The biggest obstacle to discovering life beyond Earth
The biggest obstacle to discovering life in space? Not distance. Not capability. It’s ambiguity — and it’s built into science. MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager explains.

by Sara Seager

A volcano erupts at night, spewing lava and smoke, while several people observe from a distance in the foreground.
Everything Articles Videos
Close-up of a pencil and charcoal drawing showing a detailed human eye on the left side, with textured shading and geometric shapes in the background—capturing the beauty found where science fails to explain human perception.
5mins
The Well
Where science fails, according to a physicist
Why are we here? What is everything made of? This theoretical physicist says science isn’t the right way to answer these questions.
Jim Al-Khalili
John Templeton Foundation
math awe
The Well
Can mathematics be spiritual? Ask Einstein
Mathematics and religion both embody awe-inspiring, eternal truths.
Francis Su
John Templeton Foundation
A frayed rope pulled from both ends against a solid orange background, with strands unraveling on each side—capturing the tension felt when you’re learning how to apologize and mend strained connections.
The Well
How apologies save relationships
Dr. Amrisha Vaish explains the science of remorse, guilt, and an effective apology.
Amrisha Vaish
thinking fast slow
The Well
System 1 vs. System 2 thinking: Why it isn’t strategic to always be rational
People believe that slow and deliberative thinking is inherently superior to fast and intuitive thinking. The truth is more complicated.
Gordon Pennycook
John Templeton Foundation
A person in a red robe sits outdoors holding an hourglass, surrounded by greenery and a body of water, symbolizing predictions for the future.
The Well
Michio Kaku: 3 mind-blowing predictions about the future
What lies in store for humanity? Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains how different life will be for your descendants—and maybe your future self, if the timing works out.
Michio Kaku
John Templeton Foundation
A surreal painting ponders is time travel possible, with melting clocks draped over a tree, ledge, and abstract form in a barren landscape against distant cliffs.
The Well
Time travel is possible. Can we go back?
Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.
Brian Greene
John Templeton Foundation
The Well
Atheism is not as rare or as rational as you think
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
Will Gervais
John Templeton Foundation
A digital illustration of a stereotypical alien figure, inspired by concepts of extraterrestrial life, featuring a large bald head, big dark eyes, and a small mouth on a pale yellow background.
5mins
The Well
What alien life could teach us about humanity
Dr. Sara Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist, who is questioning the very nature of life and how we’re attempting to find it elsewhere.
Sara Walker
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of two hands touching or aligning a series of parallel lines and chevron patterns, all overlaid with a blue filter, evoking the precision and symmetry often found in mathematics.
5mins
The Well
Michio Kaku: Is God a mathematician?
Michio Kaku believes math is the mind of God.
Michio Kaku
John Templeton Foundation
teenager myths
The Well
5 harmful myths and 5 inspiring truths about teenagers
Society treats teenagers as if they’re a problem to be solved, but the truth is that we have to prepare them to solve our problems. It’s time that we change the narrative.
Ken Ginsburg
John Templeton Foundation
A target with several arrows on the ground nearby and none hitting the bullseye, capturing the joy of being wrong.
3mins
The Well
The joy of being wrong
Arguments on social media are notorious. Can practicing intellectual humility make us smarter and happier? Science says yes.
John Templeton Foundation
Side view X-ray image of a human head and brain in shades of purple, shown against a solid purple background, highlighting the serene focus often seen in meditators.
3mins
The Well
Superhumans: The remarkable brain waves of high-level meditators
Psychologist Daniel Goleman shares what he learned by studying the brain waves of Olympic-level meditators, and his findings are unprecedented.
Daniel Goleman
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of a baboon standing on all fours, facing right, with a reddish-brown coat and a pink patch on its hindquarters—an awe-inspiring member of the animal kingdom.
The Well
I put a camera on a monkey. Here’s how it shook my understanding of humanity
Awe is a powerful force, a fact that is both exciting and terrifying.
Agustín Fuentes
John Templeton Foundation
A black-and-white abstract image featuring a dense field of small dots and a central dark oval, evoking the mysterious allure of black holes, surrounded by a lighter, glowing area.
The Well
What’s inside black holes?
To understand the edges of our universe, we’ll need to explore the edges of our own philosophies.
Avi Loeb
John Templeton Foundation
A black-and-white drawing of four students sitting at desks, each wearing helmet-like devices with wires extending upward, as if tapping into their intelligence.
8mins
The Well
There are 8 classes of intelligence. Which are you?
IQ tests only measure two of the eight intelligences. Howard Gardner explains them all.
Howard Gardner
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of a woman holding up a balance scale, symbolizing justice, on a yellow background.
5mins
The Well
Your moral compass could be broken
People rarely question their own moral compass. But do you know what shapes yours?
Liane Young
John Templeton Foundation
Black line drawing of a person with a long nose, reminiscent of Pinocchio, wiping tears from their face against a solid green background, illustrating the impact of honesty on child development principles.
5mins
The Well
3 great untruths to stop telling kids—and ourselves
These psychological principles can unlock your resiliency.
Jonathan Haidt
John Templeton Foundation
A vintage-style illustration of a man in a suit with a mustache and top hat, the top of his head open as colorful smoke swirls out, symbolizing creativity.
3mins
The Well
How Picasso and Beethoven hacked creativity
Anyone can learn from this creativity challenge.
Anthony Brandt
John Templeton Foundation
Geometric abstract design featuring overlapping white wireframe curves forming a symmetrical star shape on a black background, evoking the cosmic elegance of the big bang.
The Well
The great Big Bang misconception
Thanks to time-traveling telescopes, we can see more about the Big Bang.
Michelle Thaller
John Templeton Foundation
A man in a suit rides a comet with a face through a star-filled night sky, reflecting on lessons learned from space travel; a top hat floats nearby as the moon smiles in the background.
The Well
How looking at 4 billion years of Earth’s history changes you
Astronaut Chris Hadfield shares how living in space has bettered his life on Earth.
Chris Hadfield
John Templeton Foundation
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