Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
We tend to take it for granted that conscious thoughts precede our actions. However, the US scientist Benjamin Libet’s groundbreaking 1980s experiments on the relationship between brain activity, conscious thoughts and physical actions caused some scientists and philosophers to rethink the concept of ‘free will’ and ask whether our decisions are made subconsciously before we’re even aware of them.
video
Wellbeing
Through a poetic account of childhood trauma, one woman reclaims her past
28 minutes
video
Politics and government
‘Without a poster, you don’t exist!’ – on the curious political banners of Mumbai
20 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
A biologist on the sorrows of documenting the Great Salt Lake’s collapse
6 minutes
video
Thinkers and theories
Jeremy Bentham was consumed by creating a perfect prison. Here’s the result
4 minutes
video
Film and visual culture
The old-time cinema experience endures in a quiet corner of Japan
5 minutes
video
Gender and identity
‘I didn’t fall in love with a couple of body pieces’ – on marriage and transition
3 minutes
video
Logic and probability
Chew over the prisoner’s dilemma and see if you can find the rational path out
6 minutes
video
Architecture
The radically impractical 18th-century architect whose ideas on beauty endure
19 minutes
video
Sports and games
The brutality and beauty of the West African martial art of ‘dambe’
15 minutes