The Well

A microscope, Earth, and a colorful arc appear against a starry black space 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

John Templeton Foundation

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

White lines radiate outward from a central point on a blue gradient background, resembling a geometric starburst or abstract sunburst design.

How ancient DNA proved human origin theory wrong

Human origins once looked like a simple migration story. According to geneticist David Reich, new evidence keeps turning it into a record of contact, disappearance, and surprise.

by David Reich

A middle-aged man with light hair and a beard, wearing a blue sweater over a white shirt, stands in front of a neutral background with faint, curved text elements.

Everything Articles Videos

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

A person stands in front of a large face, peering into an oversized monocle held by a giant hand, as if searching for traces of free will within the magnified gaze.

5mins

The Well

Is free will an illusion?

Philosophers have been making the claim that free will is an illusion for hundreds of years. Dr. Uri Maoz shares what modern neuroscience has to say about it.

Dr. Uri Maoz

John Templeton Foundation

Illustration of a human brain, drawn with black ink lines on a solid orange background, symbolizing intellectual life.

5mins

The Well

How to live an intellectual life

According to Zena Hitz, the idea of the intellectual has become distorted. She believes “the real thing is something more extraordinary but also more available to us.”

Zena Hitz

John Templeton Foundation