

essay
Quantum theory
All is One
The ancient philosophy of monism and the physics of quantum entanglement agree: all that exists is one unified whole
Heinrich Päs

essay
Biology
Octopus time
We humans are forward-facing, gravity-bound plodders. Can the liquid motion of the octopus radicalise our ideas about time?
David Borkenhagen

essay
Beauty and aesthetics
Patterns of the lifeworld
Machine learning theory is shedding new light on how to think about the mysterious and ineffable nature of art
Peli Grietzer

essay
Economics
The empty basket
Economics is the language of power and affects us all. What can we do to improve its impoverished menu of ideas?
Ha-Joon Chang

essay
Animals and humans
The free dogs of India
These canines have independent, peaceful, happy lives without a pet’s constraints. Why are they being persecuted and culled?
Krithika Srinivasan & Chris Pearson

video
Dance and theatre
Leaf through Shakespeare’s First Folio for a riveting journey into theatre history
13 minutes

essay
History of ideas
Self-satisfaction
The ancient Cynics taught that masturbation is about more than pleasure: it suggests how to live simply and autonomously
M D Usher

video
Love and friendship
A decade after his wife was swept away in a tsunami, Yasuo still searches the sea
9 minutes

video
Architecture
Modern architecture should embrace – not ignore or repel – the nonhuman world
8 minutes

essay
Philosophy of religion
A new paganism
Now is the time to revitalise our relationship with nature and immerse ourselves in the little wonders of the universe
Ed Simon

essay
Quantum theory
All is One
The ancient philosophy of monism and the physics of quantum entanglement agree: all that exists is one unified whole
Heinrich Päs

video
Nations and empires
The strange tale of how mangoes became hallowed objects in Maoist China
6 minutes

essay
History of ideas
Disorient yourself
Now associated with childhood fun, the swing has a near-universal history of ritual transgression and transformation
Javier Moscoso

video
Philosophy of mind
We may never settle the ‘free will’ debate, but tapping into it is still worthwhile
32 minutes

essay
Mood and emotion
In praise of irritation
Unlike anger, irritation has neither glamour nor radicalism on its side. Yet it might just be the mood we need right now
Will Rees

video
Ecology and environmental sciences
In an ancient English rainforest, John creates charcoal and cultivates growth
12 minutes

essay
Virtues and vices
The virtue of discretion
When the rules break down, you must judge what to do on your own. Discretion is necessary for navigating the muddle of life
Lorraine Daston

video
Information and communication
Mapping data visualisation’s meteoric rise from Victorian London to today
6 minutes

essay
Biology
Octopus time
We humans are forward-facing, gravity-bound plodders. Can the liquid motion of the octopus radicalise our ideas about time?
David Borkenhagen

video
Philosophy of mind
An enigmatic ‘story of consciousness’ told through 19th-century engravings
7 minutes

essay
The ancient world
Guide to a foreign past
The iconoclastic French historian Paul Veyne illuminated the past by showing how deeply alien it is to the present
Carlos Noreña

video
Politics and government
Join the spirited debate at a women’s hair salon before a pivotal election in Tunisia
19 minutes

essay
Beauty and aesthetics
Patterns of the lifeworld
Machine learning theory is shedding new light on how to think about the mysterious and ineffable nature of art
Peli Grietzer

essay
Consciousness and altered states
Animal, vegetable, mineral
Cruel and unscientific, the ‘vegetative state’ diagnosis stems from a hierarchical and bigoted view of all living things
Ben Platts-Mills

video
Space exploration
What are you really seeing when you see magnificent images of space?
5 minutes

essay
History of science
Machina mundi
How medieval thinkers foreshadowed modern physics in investigating the character of machines, devices and forces
Henrik Lagerlund & Sylvain Roudaut

video
Meaning and the good life
Why Aristotle believed that philosophy was humanity’s highest purpose
9 minutes

essay
Human evolution
How like the kiwi we are
To understand helpless human babies, our big brains and oddly involved dads, look to the evolution of birds not mammals
Antone Martinho-Truswell