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Essays

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

Two silhouetted figures examining a wall-sized, illuminated display of the periodic table.

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Chemistry

Chemical laws

Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe

Vanessa A Seifert

A speaker on stage addressing a large audience in an indoor venue with screens displaying his image.

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Religion

Prosperity versus liberation

How Pentecostalism’s prosperity gospel replaced Catholic liberation theology in Latin American life

Elle Hardy

Abstract painting of two distorted faces with geometric shapes in orange, purple and brown tones.

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Psychiatry and psychotherapy

Psychodynamic nonsense

After decades of practising psychotherapy, I believe it has little foundation in science and often causes harm

Niklas Serning

Two weathered, clay duck sculptures facing each other against a grey background.

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Metaphysics

The truth about fiction

What distinguishes fiction from nonfiction? The answer to this perennial question relies on how we understand reality itself

Hannah H Kim

Photograph of two silhouetted figures on a sunlit path surrounded by dark geometric shadows and structures.

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Knowledge

The penumbral plunge

Diving into the ring of darkness beyond things easily answerable, asking ‘Why?’ questions is what make humans awesome

Eric Schwitzgebel

Painting of passengers in a 19th century bus, featuring men and women in period dress, one holding a basket of flowers.

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Stories and literature

Elegance and hustle

How French modernists from Proust to Mallarmé were alarmed and inspired by the voracious dynamism of the newspaper world

Max McGuinness

Heron standing on a small patch of greenery surrounded by calm water with a lush forest in the background.

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Earth science and climate

The planetary fix

Despite decades of inaction we can avert the climate Hellocene and restore the atmosphere to keep our world habitable

Rob Jackson

A masked nurse in scrubs sitting in a hospital waiting area.

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Bioethics

Moral resilience

Nurses experience deep suffering when they can’t act according to their moral compass. Our research shows a way forward

Cynda Hylton Rushton

Painting of a bustling 17th-century market square with people, horses and a church, surrounded by historic buildings and boats on a waterway.

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Global history

There are no pure cultures

All of our religions, stories, languages and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history

Inanna Hamati-Ataya

Photo of a man in a red shirt praying on a church pew, hands clasped, with a notebook beside him in dim lighting.

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Cognition and intelligence

The power of prayer

Praying is a cognitive practice full of problem-solving resources. You can learn from it even if you don’t want to do it

Eleanor Schille-Hudson

Photo of three vertical beams of red laser light in a dark room creating a glowing effect on the floor.

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Philosophy of science

Aha = wow

We surveyed thousands of scientists in four countries and learned just how important beauty is to them

Bridget Ritz & Brandon Vaidyanathan

Colourful painting depicting a range of people eating, drinking and engaging in other activities, with floral patterns.

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Art

Threads of resistance

Knitting and embroidery are laden with stereotypes of domestic femininity – and the subversive potential for protest

Gemma McKenzie