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A dimly lit bar with red decor, a man sitting at the counter, a bartender, and a woman entering through a door.

What is Ethiopian philosophy?

Riven by two competing schools of thought, the future of philosophical enquiry in Ethiopia stands at a crossroads

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A dimly lit bar with red decor, a man sitting at the counter, a bartender, and a woman entering through a door.

essay

Comparative philosophy

What is Ethiopian philosophy?

Riven by two competing schools of thought, the future of philosophical enquiry in Ethiopia stands at a crossroads

Fasil Merawi

Popular this month

Abstract digital collage with classical statue overlayed by red lines, geometric shapes and layered images on a textured background.

essay

Stories and literature

Our narrative prison

The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?

Eliane Glaser

A rocky cliff with natural caves and green vegetation growing on the surface.

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Human evolution

The other Homo sapiens

We are just one branch of a diverse human family tree. Aside from Neanderthals, who were they – and why did we replace them?

Nick Longrich

A murmuration of starlings forming a large, swirling shape in the early evening sky above silhouetted trees.

essay

Neuroscience

The entangled brain

The brain is much less like a machine than it is like the murmurations of a flock of starlings or an orchestral symphony

Luiz Pessoa

Renaissance drawing of two figures in robes in a circle on aged paper. One figure points to a celestial object composed of concentric circles on the left.

essay

Philosophy of science

Why philosophy of physics?

Some physicists reject philosophy as a distraction from ‘real’ science but it is in fact both useful and beautiful

James Read

Four ballet dancers practising at a barre, wearing black leotards and pink tights, leaning back with their left arms raised.

essay

Neuroscience

Ingredients for brilliance

An immersive ‘flow state’ isn’t only accessible to great artists and athletes. You can find your flow too. Here’s how

Julia F Christensen

Futuristic digital artwork of Earth with two large transparent rings arching over it in space.

video

Engineering

Building a prosperous future demands bold ideas. These are some of the boldest

40 minutes

Renaissance drawing of two figures in robes in a circle on aged paper. One figure points to a celestial object composed of concentric circles on the left.

essay

Philosophy of science

Why philosophy of physics?

Some physicists reject philosophy as a distraction from ‘real’ science but it is in fact both useful and beautiful

James Read

video

Film and visual culture

Space and time expand, contract and combust in this propulsive animation

5 minutes

Profile painting of a woman with dark hair against a vivid red background.

essay

History of science

A nasogenital tale

A bizarre theory (and a gory surgery) in fin-de-siècle Vienna help us get a grip on how science and medicine actually work

Urte Laukaityte

Aerial photo of a large circular crater with a dark centre in a brown landscape, resembling an impact site.

video

Environmental history

In Kazakhstan, ‘atomic lakes’ still scar the landscape decades after Soviet nuclear tests

13 minutes

Three ancient human skeletons laid side by side in an archaeological excavation site.

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Archaeology

Deep time and the revenant

In enigmatic burials, crafted to bind the bodies within, we can see how truly ancient our fears of the undead must be

Rebecca Batley

Black and white photo of two girls in dresses touching foreheads while sitting on a rock in a field of daisies.

video

Childhood and adolescence

‘Do worms cry?’ – and other questions collected from the mind of a curious child

4 minutes

Aerial photo of turquoise ocean with a sinuous sand-coloured formation running diagonally, creating a striking contrast.

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Oceans and water

An oceanic tempo

An appreciation of the immensity embedded in the ocean’s cycles offers a way to reimagine our relationship with time

James Bradley

A young person with curly hair and glasses, wearing a backpack, indoors in what appears to be a school setting, with a green door and soft lighting, other children in background.

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Neurodiversity

Our diverse togetherness

While initiatives for inclusive education mean well, schools fail to provide neurodivergent students what they need to flourish

Chelsea Wallis

Photo of a young woman in a pink hijab skateboarding on a ramp, with a building and a flag visible in the background.

video

Sports and games

Young Palestinians find fleeting moments of freedom at a West Bank skate park

13 minutes

Infrared image of the Milky Way shows a glowing red band of stars across a blue background, indicating cosmic dust and gas.

essay

History of science

The light beyond sight

Only a tiny sliver of the Universe’s light can be seen by human eyes. But today we’re catching glimpses of the invisible

Corey S Powell

video

Philosophy of mind

‘Am I not at least something?’ A surreal dive into Descartes’s Meditations

3 minutes

Street food vendor cooking skewers on a grill as people gather to eat and buy in a bustling outdoor setting.

essay

Comparative philosophy

A cure for individualism

It runs deeply through the Western outlook, hailed and condemned in equal measures. For a corrective, look to Confucius

Tim Connolly

Black and white photo of a woman cycling down a street with a wicker basket on the bike. She wears a checked coat.

video

History of science

Meet the Quaker pacifist who shattered British science’s highest glass ceilings

14 minutes

Mosaic of a man in a red coat and wide brimmed hat holding a scythe with three workers in the background on a patterned brick wall.

essay

Human rights and justice

Levelling the world

Gerrard Winstanley led a small band of radicals whose vision of justice encompassed the globe and continues to inspire

Rowan Wilson

A rocky cliff with natural caves and green vegetation growing on the surface.

essay

Human evolution

The other Homo sapiens

We are just one branch of a diverse human family tree. Aside from Neanderthals, who were they – and why did we replace them?

Nick Longrich

Engraving of a classroom with children sewing, some highlighted in red, teachers stand at the front with windows above.

video

Illness and disease

Humanity eradicated smallpox 45 years ago. It’s a story worth remembering

25 minutes

Painting of a man on a rocky cliff overlooking a foggy mountainous landscape, with a walking stick in hand.

essay

Art

Out of the fog

It’s a ‘failed painting’ that obscures the profound power of German Romanticism. Why do we love the ‘Wanderer’ so much?

Gianluca Didino

A painting of a mythical forest scene with centaurs, satyrs and wild animals in a chaotic setting.

video

Nature and landscape

‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden

5 minutes

People collecting water from a makeshift station in a camp, surrounded by orange netting and tents in the background.

essay

Ethics

Moral refuge

You can believe in border control yet protect those fleeing to safety. So what is our ethical obligation to refugees?

Bradley Hillier-Smith

Clay animation of a person pondering at a table with a drink can, against a dark background.

video

Personality

A ‘little thief’ turned career criminal recounts a life on the wrong side of the law

5 minutes

A murmuration of starlings forming a large, swirling shape in the early evening sky above silhouetted trees.

essay

Neuroscience

The entangled brain

The brain is much less like a machine than it is like the murmurations of a flock of starlings or an orchestral symphony

Luiz Pessoa

A silhouetted figure sitting on a chair behind frosted glass partitions in a waiting room with overhead lights.

essay

Illness and disease

Permission to be ill

It took months for my functional neurological disorder to finally be diagnosed. It’s a condition that must be recognised

Kevin Aho