Menu
Aeon
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN
A person’s hands pouring olive oil into a row of wine glasses with people blurred in the background at a tasting event.

The flavour of mechanisation

Olive oil was revered and cherished by the ancients. But its distinctive peppery taste is really a modern invention

A man floating in the sea beneath a dramatic, stormy sky with large, dark clouds.

essay

Technology and the self

We need raw awe

In this tech-vexed age, our life on screens prevents us from experiencing the mysteries and transformative wonder of life

Kirk Schneider

Photo of a person in a winter coat and beanie looking at a snow-covered town, with mountains in the background.

video

Earth science and climate

There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?

8 minutes

People in a church with raised hands in worship, expressions of joy and devotion on their faces.

essay

Nations and empires

Utopia brasileira

Within less than a decade, Brazil will have as many evangelicals as Catholics, a transcendence born of the prosperity gospel

Alex Hochuli

Black-and-white photo of a man speaking into microphones held by the press outside a building, with a woman smiling at him in the background.

video

Political philosophy

The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom

21 minutes

Drawing of Earth and the Moon in orbit with straight lines trailing off each on a white background with grey specks.

video

Physics

To change the way you see the Moon, view it from the Sun’s perspective

5 minutes

A woman with glasses and a colourful African headscarf is holding a child. They are outdoors in a rocky, hilly landscape. The path ahead appears scattered with small white stones.

video

Human rights and justice

When a burial for slave trade victims is unearthed, a small island faces a reckoning

29 minutes

Painting of two anthropomorphic peacocks in 18th-century attire in front of a stately home surrounded by trees.

essay

Beauty and aesthetics

Is beauty natural?

Charles Darwin was as fascinated by extravagant ornament in nature as Jane Austen was in culture. Did their explanations agree?

Abigail Tulenko

A man views a holographic projection of a child in shorts running in a forest setting; office equipment surrounds him.

video

Technology and the self

A haunting scene from ‘Minority Report’ inspires a voyage into time and memory

7 minutes

A sea turtle swimming underwater in clear turquoise water with sunlight shimmering on the surface.

essay

Philosophy of science

Elusive but everywhere

A new theory argues that unseen ‘fields’ guide all goal-directed things in the Universe, from falling rocks to voyaging turtles

Daniel W McShea & Gunnar O Babcock

Illustration of a person reading a book with glowing hot air balloons and mountains emerging from the pages.

essay

Physics

The city of wisdom

Don’t be intimidated by physics: it is made of stories and metaphors. Learn these and the field will open up to you

Jamie Zvirzdin

Illustration of a saucepan on a stove with raw meat and ginger, a pot lid is nearby on the right.

video

Family life

The stream-of-consciousness thoughts and memories that emerge while cooking a meal

5 minutes

Photo of a soldier in camouflage standing on a busy market street surrounded by people and colourful fabrics.

essay

Nations and empires

Colonies of former colonies

India’s ongoing subjugation of Kashmir holds portentous lessons about the nature of contemporary colonialism

Hafsa Kanjwal

Aerial view of a coastal area at dusk with multiple streaks of red light travelling over water and land, illuminating the landscape.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds

6 minutes

Black and white photo of a vintage propeller aircraft flying in a clear sky.

essay

Philosophy of science

The forces of chance

Social scientists cling to simple models of reality – with disastrous results. Instead they must embrace chaos theory

Brian Klaas

Photo of a desert scene with tall cacti and a person standing, set against a sunlit rocky hill.

video

Human rights and justice

Can providing humanitarian aid be illegal? A troubling case from the US-Mexico border

17 minutes

Painting of a man and woman in elegant 18th-century attire sitting on a pink sofa with ornate decoration.

essay

History of ideas

Settling accounts

Before he was famous, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was Louise Dupin’s scribe. It’s her ideas on inequality that fill his writings

Rebecca Wilkin

Photo of shattered glass with multiple cracks against a black background.

essay

Philosophy of mind

Rage against the machine

For all the promise and dangers of AI, computers plainly can’t think. To think is to resist – something no machine does

Alva Noë

A chimpanzee in a space suit inside a capsule with human hands assisting, suggesting space exploration preparation.

video

Space exploration

The rarely told story of the fruit flies, primates and canines that preceded us in space

12 minutes

Ancient mosaic depicting two figures with instruments on a blue stone background.

essay

Food and drink

The fermented crescent

Ancient Mesopotamians had a profound love of beer: a beverage they found celebratory, intoxicating and strangely erotic

Tate Paulette

Painting of people playing dodgeball around a square pool with ripples in vibrant colours, long shadows cast on the ground.

video

Film and visual culture

A lush animated opus evokes the frenzied pace of modern life

4 minutes

Photo of two grey birds on a rock by water, one standing and the other appearing to crash land into the rock, neck bent with wings raised; green reeds in background.

essay

Philosophy of science

Life makes mistakes

Hens try to hatch golf balls, whales get beached. Getting things wrong seems to play a fundamental role in life on Earth

David S Oderberg

A painting of two girls with long hair each holding peacock feathers standing in front of a textured, muted background.

video

Family life

The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations

10 minutes

Blurry photo of a person lying back with head tilted, set against a red and dark background.

essay

Sex and sexuality

Sex and death

Our culture works hard to keep sex and death separate but recharging the libido might provide the release that grief needs

Cody Delistraty

A street with an American flag a mural of a vintage town scene and a black pickup truck passing by.

essay

Politics and government

The spectre of insecurity

Liberals have forgotten that in order for our lives not to be nasty, brutish and short, we need stability. Enter Hobbes

Jennifer M Morton