Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
With all the scientific progress we’ve made over the past centuries, there’s still a massive, unknowable amount of information that we have yet to comprehend. In many cases, we haven’t figured out even basic truths about our world: what is the force of gravity, really? How does human consciousness actually function? In this brief, animated and humorous skewering of the cult of knowledge, the BBC producer John Lloyd argues that for all our striving for intelligence and information, what matters most is learning how to conduct our everyday lives better.
From the RSA
video
Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
video
Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
video
Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
4 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
video
Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 minutes
video
Work
A Swedish expat in the Philippines wonders: what’s up with people sleeping at work?
14 minutes