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Essays

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

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

An automotive factory interior with a car body on an overhead conveyor, surrounded by industrial machinery.

essayEconomic history

Towards good globalisation

How do some countries manage to channel foreign capital into economic development while others are just exploited by it?

Guilherme Klein Martins

Graphic with a vertical split between a red and brown background, with a brown circle at the centre of each half.

essayNeuroscience

Brain man

How can you have a picture of the world when your brain is locked up in your skull? Neuroscientist Dale Purves has clues

Asif Ghazanfar

Abstract painting with two large, nearly identical white panels divided by a thin vertical line.

essayMetaphysics

From nothing, everything

The idea of nothing pushes at the limits of thought, spawning paradoxes that have long nourished art, philosophy, and science

Victoria Wohl

Illustration of a person in a wheelchair drawing at a desk, surrounded by swirling dark and light patterns.

essayBiography and memoir

Kabul in my heart

When the Taliban captured my city, thousands fled and the rest were severely repressed. But I’ve stayed – and survived

Maryam Mahjoba & Asad Nariman

Silhouette of a person sitting against a bright window with lens flare effects and a partial view of the outside city.

essayIllness and disease

I made it fun

Warren met his cancer diagnosis with tenacious optimism. But can positive thinking really affect the course of the disease?

Kirtan D Nautiyal

A person reading an open book with a blue scarf and hands resting on the pages in a calm setting.

essayPhilosophy of religion

Revolutionary tolerance

In an age of ferocious religious bloodletting, Sebastian Castellio argued that everyone seems like a heretic to someone else

Michael W Bruening

Underwater photo of a mother whale swimming with her calf in deep blue ocean water.

essayEvolution

Should we edit nature?

Countless species are dying from human-induced environmental change. Should we use genetic technology to alter and save them?

David Farrier

A man and a woman on a path next to a grassy area, both holding phones; the man is shown from behind and appears to be taking a selfie while a large stag walks behind him.

essayTechnology and the self

Record everything!

Our memories are precious to us and constitute our sense of self. Why not enhance them by recording all of your life?

Yannic Kappes

A farmer in a hat ploughing a muddy field with a horse in a scenic hilly landscape under cloudy sky.

essayDemography and migration

The world needs peasants

Far from being a relic of the past, peasants are vital to feeding the world. They need to be supported, not marginalised

Maryam Aslany

Black and white photo of a group of men in matching shirts at a “Male Couples Circle of Hope” event with balloons and snacks.

essayHuman rights and justice

Sometimes democracy works

Same-sex marriage is an astonishing case of progress propelled by democracy, in the face of public spite and misinformation

Michael Fuerstein

Black and white photo of a child chasing a rolling tyre on a cobblestone street with a blurred motorcycle passing by.

essayPhilosophy of science

Breaking the chain

The role of the conscious observer has posed a stubborn problem for quantum measurement. Phenomenology offers a solution

Steven French