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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.

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“Storytelling is one of humanity’s most powerful tools for making meaning

Every waking moment, we’re crafting a narrative about ourselves and about the world around us. It’s how we make sense of our past, how we understand our present, and how we imagine the future. As psychologist Dan McAdams once put it, ‘We are all storytellers, and we are the stories we tell.'”

Kmele Foster smiling
Kmele Foster

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“Common wisdom says we have a self and that self is the source of our free will, but...

 the subject of the self is riddled with paradoxes. Because the mind has been categorized as something “nonphysical,” its definition alone places the self outside of physical cause-and-effect, and beyond the scope of science. However, as with many philosophical quandaries that involve the proposal of a thesis and the emergence of a counter-thesis (or antithesis, in the words of Hegel), a synthesis often emerges, reconciling seemingly disparate views into a more coherent and sensible perspective.”

a man in a suit and tie posing for a picture.
Bobby Azarian

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Bravery will bring you beyond your barriers.
When was the last time you sat down and swapped stories with a person you're close to? Each week, our resident philosopher and editor Jonny Thomson gives context to the…
Imagine how much better our world would be if there were more light and love 💡❤
Could you make an obscure-yet-fascinating video essay about it?
How many languages do you speak?
If we never shared our stories, what would become of us? 📚
No one does!
Happy birthday to Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the iconic comic strip "Peanuts"!

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