PhilosophySciencePsychologySocietyCulture
EssaysVideos

Popular

About
DONATENEWSLETTER
/
/
Aeon
DONATE/NEWSLETTER/
/

    Kindness as self-defence – the power of ‘non-complementary behaviour’

    People instinctively reciprocate anger with anger and kindness with kindness, but what happens when someone breaks this ‘complementary behaviour’ chain? Using the story of a home robbery that was disarmed by an offer of wine as a starting point, this cleverly conceived video investigates the surprising power of non-complementary behaviour to diffuse small-scale conflicts and even completely restructure societies. The audio in this video is excerpted from a full-length episode of NPR’s Invisibilia podcast.

    Producers: Mito Habe-Evans, Claire O’Neill, Liana Simonds

    Puppetry: Manual Cinema

    4 August 2016
    Abstract art with colourful, stylised human-like figures in red, blue, and green, floating shapes overhead on a beige background.

    videoNeurodiversity

    Workplace diversity isn’t just about equality – it’s a competitive advantage

    4 minutes

    A felted wool fox sculpture with bright yellow eyes stands in front of a blurred background of green trees.

    videoLogic and probability

    Chew over the prisoner’s dilemma and see if you can find the rational path out

    6 minutes

    Black and white drawing of four characters in a science fiction transporter room with “OUTROSPECTION” written in red below.

    videoCosmopolitanism

    Is the introspection of self-help and therapy hurting our ability to empathise?

    10 minutes

    Drawing of a child pointing at a person carrying a giant cupcake, with an arm and hand emerging from the frosting.

    videoEthics

    For Iris Murdoch, selfishness is a fault that can be solved by reframing the world

    6 minutes

    Illustration of a market scene with a hand drawing two men, one labelled “rob from the rich” the other “give to the poor”.

    videoCognition and intelligence

    Why it’s so easy to cheat without feeling dishonest

    11 minutes

    Cartoon of a blonde woman with an annoyed expression and text saying “DAMN YOU STEVE.”

    videoMood and emotion

    Blame lets you blow off steam, but it will rarely help you get at the truth

    3 minutes

    Illustration of a man’s blue-tinted face, moustached, connected by dotted lines to three other faces, all floating against a plain background.

    videoSocial psychology

    Don’t misread Darwin: for humans, ‘survival of the fittest’ means being sympathetic

    5 minutes

    Abstract illustration of a red hand holding a white object on a pink background, featuring colourful accents on the fingers.

    videoNeuroscience

    A syndrome stranger than sci-fi – how limbs can get a mind of their own

    3 minutes

    Illustration of a person sitting in a room with a bed and various objects. The background is pink, and the objects include a lamp, books, clock, plants, lava lamp, slippers, and a small ball. The person appears to be drawn in a simple, sketch-like style.

    videoSex and sexuality

    After a sextortion scam, Eugene conducts an unblushing survey of masturbation

    14 minutes