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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How life changes when you start embracing mystery
David S. Goyer explains how paying attention to mystery, and not brushing it aside, became the foundation for the way he builds stories, characters, and worlds.

David S. Goyer

A silhouette of a child stands on a sunlit path in a dense, dark forest with tall trees and foliage surrounding the scene.
A petri dish containing various colorful bacterial colonies growing on agar, viewed from above against a dark background.
6mins
These microbes endured the unlivable. The NASA astrobiologist who studies them reveals what that means for us today
Two people are holding hands; one person wears a dark sleeve, the other wears a blue sleeve with a green garment. The setting appears to be indoors with a red chair in the background.
6mins
Aristotle thought that a friend you love is considered your ‘second-self’, someone whose pain feels like your own. Philosopher Meghan Sullivan asks, what happens when you extend that kind of love to strangers?
White text on a black background reads "The Impact of Nothing.
3mins
From nothing to everything: How zero changed our understanding of the universe, forever.
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1mins
What would the world be like if we focused on “the inherent beauty of math,” rather than its technical aspects? A statistician reflects:
An elderly man with white hair and a beard, hands clasped in prayer, with the equation “1 + 1” glowing above his hands.
2mins
Statistician Talithia Williams on how math is the clearest path to understanding our existence.
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3mins
How do scientists measure and define life in the natural world? Dr. Lee Cronin gives us a definition, in 4 minutes:
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6mins
Algorithms dictate a lot more than your social media feeds. Here’s how to win back your agency.