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.
Get The Well in your inbox
Featured Interviews
“Throughout time, we earthlings have all sort of come to the same points in the year, and the same points in life to mark…
Disparate cultures, who had no way of communicating, found the same moments to create ceremonies and traditions around. Birth, coming of age, death- and also the solstices and equinoxes. So many of our rituals and traditions are about processing change and coming to terms with who we are on this little, particular planet.”
Author
Bessel van der Kolk is a psychiatrist noted for his research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and[…]
▸
8 min
—
with
Julia Galef is a New York-based writer and public speaker specializing in science, rationality, and design. She serves on the board of directors of the New York City Skeptics, co-hosts[…]
▸
4 min
—
with
Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator[…]
▸
8 min
—
with
Featured Article
From politics to culture, we blame “tribalism” for humanity’s problems. This explanation is entirely wrong.
“How we talk about society’s problems matters.
Invoking the notion of ‘tribalism’ for the world’s current problems is misleading at best and insulting at worst.”
Anthropologist
JOIN US ON INSTAGRAM
Uncertainty is almost always certain.
Creating alternate realities in REM sleep
What's your view?
Where do you escape to?
Should you be worried about nightmares?
Each week, our resident philosopher and editor Jonny Thomson gives context to the interview & quote of the week in our email newsletter. For more from Jonny, subscribe through the…
Why most child prodigies don’t grow up to be stars
Why 'nature vs. nurture' isn't quite right
All Stories
Spiritual experiences can be explained in terms of a highly evolved brain. But they also can be extremely meaningful.
by
You’ve heard about your "lizard brain." But what about the other two?
▸
8 min
—
with
No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.
▸
9 min
—
with
"Groupthink" gets a bad rap. In reality, we need groups to focus our thinking and to build on the ideas of others.
by
Ancient societies revered dreams. Modern science tells us why.
▸
5 min
—
with
Geniuses and prodigies are captivating. But generalists rule the world.
▸
6 min
—
with
Neuroscience is beginning to provide clues about the emergence of human consciousness.
by
This network physicist is mapping the world's most significant data to create the most beautiful visualizations of information we have ever seen.
▸
7 min
—
with
Aimless wandering is essential for understanding yourself. Here’s why.
▸
6 min
—
with
Man does not live by measurement alone.
by
Science has opened so many doors to humanity’s understanding of the world. Scientism shuts them. Here’s how to tell the difference.
▸
5 min
—
with
Forget AI. Gene editing is still our most powerful — and dangerous — technology.
▸
5 min
—
with
Thinking about the problem of meaning is unsettling because it introduces us to a list of solutions that all feel a bit insane.
by
From DMT elves, to God, to the figures in our dreams — why are humans so obsessed with the supernatural?
▸
7 min
—
with
Humans, like animals, are driven by instincts. But we also have wants. Here’s what that means for our lives.
▸
5 min
—
with
How humans came to feel comfortable among strangers, like those in a café, is an under-explored mystery.
by
This scientist made an algorithm to predict which artists succeed — all without even looking at their art.
▸
6 min
—
with
How World War II codebreaker Alan Turing invented modern AI.
▸
6 min
—
with
The acceptance of our cosmic loneliness and the rarity of our planet is a wakeup call.
by
People say we are better off than ever. Are they right?
▸
4 min
—
with
How America became a fragile nation — and how it can get its resilience back.
▸
9 min
—
with
Adolescents actively shape the transformation of religion and become the bearers of new religious patterns, worldviews, and values.
by
This is not your average dream interpreter. Nightmares, as explained by a neuroscientist.
▸
6 min
—
with
“If intelligence is the ability to respond to any argument, wisdom lies in knowing which parts of an argument to respond to.” Harvard debate coach Bo Seo explains how to argue better.
▸
5 min
—
with
In the beginning, genes weren't needed.
by
This network scientist is creating a map of the human genome, and it could revolutionize the future of healthcare.
▸
6 min
—
with
Experimental neuroscientist Patrick McNamara on how we can harness spiritual experiences to explore alternate realities in our minds, and transform our models of the self.
▸
8 min
—
with
Considering the perspectives of others has important benefits for individuals and for society. There is one easy way to do it.
by
What beavers and earthworms can teach us about working with, not against, Mother Nature.
▸
6 min
—
with
What makes some scientists culturally significant, while others remain in obscurity? Well, there’s a science to it.
▸
9 min
—
with