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Essays

Longform Essays written by serious and creative thinkers on philosophy, psychology, science, society and culture

Painting of a green and pink landscape with a prominent flat-topped mountain and a cloudy sky in the background.

essayArt

My private mountain

Through her paintings, Georgia O’Keefe laid claim to New Mexico’s desert landscape. But it was never hers for the taking

Alanna Offield

Photo of an ancient marble altar with intricate carvings and steps, showcasing classical architectural details and patterns.

essayThe ancient world

An emperor for all seasons

The magnificent Altar of Peace celebrates the imperial order of Augustus’ Rome and his place in the fabric of the cosmos

John Weeds

Painting of a man with a spear through his eye and head, showing a surreal and dramatic portrayal with detailed features.

essayHistory of science

Monstrification

For centuries we’ve used the declaration of ‘monster’ to eject individuals and groups from being respected as fully human

Surekha Davies

essayMedicine

Learning to not-know

From late-night calls to unsolved symptoms, uncertainty is woven into every doctor’s day. They should learn to embrace it

Zoe Cunniffe

Photo of a construction site with wooden fence, trees and stones inscribed with Hindi text in the foreground.

essayPolitics and government

Dreams of a Maoist India

India’s Maoist guerillas have just surrendered, after decades of waging war on the government from their forest bases

Rahul Pandita

Black and white photo of children playing in a street against a rough wall with a sign, some moving energetically.

essayChildhood and adolescence

Hidden in plain sight

Jewish children who were ‘hidden’ in Christian families during the Holocaust have much to teach us about memory and trauma

Carolyn Ariella Sofia

Painting of shells on a table with a floral vase a potted plant and a bird on a balcony overlooking water and cliffs.

essayNeurodiversity

A poet on Mars

Could autism explain Virginia Woolf’s unique voice? Her extraordinary eye for detail and connections suggests it might

Camille Caprioglio

Photo of a vibrant snack bar with colourful signs advertising beer, pizza, sausages and ice cream.

essayProgress and modernity

The explosion of choice

It’s only in recent history that freedom has come to mean having a huge array of choices in life. Did we take a wrong turn?

Sophia Rosenfeld

A person in blue jeans and black jacket resting in an alcove in an old red brick wall.

essaySleep and dreams

What sleep is

It is our biggest blind spot, a bizarre experience that befalls us every day, and can’t be explained by our need for rest

Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

A field of dry grass cluttered with computer company signboards.

essayKnowledge

Holes in the web

Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too

Deepak Varuvel Dennison

Abstract painting with a vertical orange stripe on a dark red background.

essayArt

Art must act

Throughout decades of writing, Harold Rosenberg exhorted artists to resist cliché and conformity and instead take action

Blake Smith

Black and white photo of a young boy playing simultaneous chess against three suited men watched by a crowd.

essayNeurodiversity

The puzzle of the ‘idiot savant’

The convergence of singular talent and profound disability confounded scientists eager to place humans into neat categories

Violeta Ruiz