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[…]
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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[…]
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3 min
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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[…]
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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
We evolved to be kind – and die for others.
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Kids don’t always make you happier. Here’s why people have them anyway.
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5 min
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There are two kinds of suffering. One is pure pain. The other makes life worth living.
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6 min
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You’ve heard of Stephen Hawking. Ever heard of Renata Kallosh? Didn’t think so.
Eugenics is bad – but understanding DNA is good.
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According to author and entrepreneur Steven Kotler, at some point this century, we will confront the prospect of immortality.
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Science doesn’t fit neatly into ideology.
Almost all our school improvements fail. Here’s why.
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“If 90% of children had ADHD and only 10% of children could sit still at a desk, how would we design school?”
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We all play the genetic lottery – and the outcome matters a lot.
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The US reduced smoking rates from 50% to 15% with a simple habit hack.
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According to renowned physicist Christophe Galfard, physics can’t explain our universe – yet.
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Willpower alone likely isn’t enough to replace a bad habit with a good one.
Practice doesn’t actually make perfect. Here’s the willpower equation necessary for elite athletes and musicians.
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There’s a psychological reason you haven’t created healthier habits in your life.
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Habit-forming rituals are subconsciously controlling your life. Here’s how to master them.
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Signals from the environment, such as those detected by your sense organs, have no inherent psychological meaning. Your brain creates the meaning.
Are physicists about to decode a mysterious field of science that could have huge implications for your health?
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Basic and breath-taking – Dr. Frank Wilczek addresses symmetry’s critical role in nature’s laws and what we consider to be beautiful.
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Popular media often frame scientists as having a cold, sterile view of the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth.