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
video
Family life
The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations
10 minutes
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
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
essay
Religion
The script creator
Pau Cin Hau dreamt of an alphabet for a language that had never been written down. So began the religion of Laipianism
Bikash K Bhattacharya
video
Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes
essay
Mental health
Constant confession
Mental health campaigns place huge trust in people’s ability to act as therapists. But when should professionals step in?
Aaron Neiman
video
Childhood and adolescence
Marmar is living through a devastating war – but she’d rather tell you about her new dress
8 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Wander through the English countryside with two teens trying to make sense of the world
10 minutes
essay
Human rights and justice
Utah is so gay!
The Mormon state is seen as deeply homophobic. Yet, from polygamy to pride, Mormons themselves are a distinctly queer lot
Kristi Rhead
essay
Subcultures
An undulating thrill
Once lauded as a wonder of the age, cocaine soon became the object of profound anxieties. What happened?
Douglas Small
video
Art
A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size
5 minutes
essay
Ethics
Main character syndrome
Why romanticising your own life is philosophically dubious, setting up toxic narratives and an inability to truly love
Anna Gotlib
video
Personality
A ‘dumpster archeologist’ reconstructs strangers’ stories via what they’ve discarded
14 minutes
essay
Rituals and celebrations
Tender, yet creepy
Dolls help children create wonderfully vivid and imaginative worlds, while also serving as unsettling reminders of the abyss
Tishani Doshi
video
Ageing and death
We’re not the only animals that appear to grieve. What are the implications?
6 minutes
essay
Sleep and dreams
Spinning the night self
After years of insomnia, I threw off the effort to sleep and embraced the peculiar openness I found in the darkest hours
Annabel Abbs
video
Love and friendship
For two brothers who rely on one another, love is a daily act of devotion
11 minutes
essay
Virtues and vices
Make it awkward!
Rather than being a cringey personal failing, awkwardness is a collective rupture – and a chance to rewrite the social script
Alexandra Plakias
video
Meaning and the good life
A Japanese religious community makes an unlikely home in the mountains of Colorado
9 minutes
essay
Psychiatry and psychotherapy
Targeted
For those who hear voices, the ‘broken brain’ explanation is harmful. Psychiatry must embrace new meaning-making frameworks
Justin Garson
video
Sex and sexuality
From secret crushes to self-acceptance – a joyful chronicle of ‘old lesbian’ stories
29 minutes
essay
Neuroscience
The melting brain
It’s not just the planet and not just our health – the impact of a warming climate extends deep into our cortical fissures
Clayton Page Aldern
video
Education
Scenes from a school year paint a refreshingly nuanced portrait of rural America
25 minutes