Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let’s learn from them. Welcome to The Well, a publication by the John Templeton Foundation and Big Think.
Featured Interviews
“We know that when people imbue their goals or relationships with sacred meaning, that they exert more effort and they benefit more from those relationships.”
Jacob Mchangama is a lawyer, human-rights advocate, author, podcast host, and founder and executive director of the think tank Justitia. He has written about free speech and human rights in[…]
▸
3 min
—
with
Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor and bestselling author in the University of Michigan’s top ranked psychology department and[…]
▸
3 min
—
with
Jacob Mchangama is a lawyer, human-rights advocate, author, podcast host, and founder and executive director of the think tank Justitia. He has written about free speech and human rights in[…]
▸
2 min
—
with
Featured Article
Sikh American scholar and historian Simran Jeet Singh on helping kids imagine — and create — a more empathetic world.
“Empathy doesn’t just fully appear on its own. In large part, it has to be nurtured, and ages 1 to 6 is a prime window. While temperament plays a role, so does a child’s environment, including the people and stories they’re exposed to.”
All Stories
Is this video four minutes long? Not necessarily.
▸
4 min
—
with
Our world would be impossible without quantum mechanics — but we still don’t have a narrative of how it works.
▸
5 min
—
with
Why are we here? What is everything made of? This theoretical physicist says science isn’t the right way to answer these questions.
▸
6 min
—
with
Mathematics and religion both embody awe-inspiring, eternal truths.
Dr. Amrisha Vaish explains the science of remorse, guilt, and an effective apology.
▸
with
People believe that slow and deliberative thinking is inherently superior to fast and intuitive thinking. The truth is more complicated.
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.
▸
with
Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.
▸
with
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
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.
▸
6 min
—
with
Michio Kaku believes math is the mind of God.
▸
6 min
—
with
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.
Arguments on social media are notorious. Can practicing intellectual humility make us smarter and happier? Science says yes.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman shares what he learned by studying the brain waves of Olympic-level meditators, and his findings are unprecedented.
▸
4 min
—
with
Awe is a powerful force, a fact that is both exciting and terrifying.
To understand the edges of our universe, we’ll need to explore the edges of our own philosophies.
▸
with
IQ tests only measure two of the eight intelligences. Howard Gardner explains them all.
▸
9 min
—
with
People rarely question their own moral compass. But do you know what shapes yours?
▸
5 min
—
with
These psychological principles can unlock your resiliency.
▸
6 min
—
with
Anyone can learn from this creativity challenge.
▸
3 min
—
with