philosophy

Dispatches host Kmele Foster is on a journey to understand humanity’s role in the cosmos. His first stop? The Atacama Plateau in Northern Chile, home to the darkest deserts and largest telescopes on earth.

Discover the ancient wisdom of not pushing the river.

"If we find just one other example of biology out there, then life is not an accident."

“To take this in, you need to ride inside the mathematical symbols.” 

Science and philosophy seem to be separate fields, but philosophical advancements have made the world more accepting of debate and unorthodox ideas.

The great philosopher spent the final portion of his painful life in a vegetative state. Did illness get him there, or was it his own philosophy?

Neural imaging has shown that the brain has “decided” what we’re going to do before we make a conscious choice — but is this even relevant to free will?

Ideas that seem wildly controversial today may move humanity towards progress. Philosopher Peter Singer asks —how do we keep them from being stifled?

Intrinsic motivation cannot be imposed on a team — but you can provide the right culture for it to flourish.

Even if a leading theory of consciousness is wrong, it can still be useful to science.

Is immortality a tantalizing possibility or a philosophical paradox?

The answer may lie in the power to see far, far beyond yourself.

If the "self" is not real, then we are slaves to a billiard ball universe, trapped in a nihilistic nightmare in which we cannot change our fate.

If you give yourself and others space to tinker and experiment, then you might create something incredible. Here's how to do it well.

Traditionally, the long history of Japanese thought has not been viewed as “philosophy” — even by Japanese scholars. It’s time for a rethink.

Dive into five philosophical schools that have faded into obscurity but still whisper through the ages.

Artificial general intelligence will not arise in systems that only passively receive data. They need to be able to act back on the world.

The question of why the Universe is the way it is is an ancient one, and none of the answers we have come up with are satisfying.

The philosophy of sex is going through a recalibration period.

The perfectly accessible, perfectly knowable Universe of classical physics is gone forever, no matter what interpretation you choose.

Rooted in Vedic philosophy, "anupalabdhi" — or "non-apprehension" — can help you exploit gaps in the market.

There's nothing like the end of the world to make you a philosopher.

Defamiliarization is a common tool in the arts. Here we learn how seeing things from a different angle can lead to billion-dollar success.

Effective altruism isn’t just for the rich. Philosopher Peter Singer shares how we can all be better at doing “good.”

The best answer we have is, "Life is matter with intentionality."

Dive into China's profound intellectual legacy through five seminal texts that have shaped millennia of thought.

Will you die when your body dies?

The world is facing many crises, and we should look to natural interdependence and ancient wisdom as we explore science for solutions.

"Conceptual isolation" offers an agreeable solution.

Cosmology is unlike other sciences. When our view of the Universe changes, so does our understanding of philosophy and science itself.