November 1, 2019
Agustín Fuentes— We all believe. But we are not all religious. Belief is an evolved capacity that incorporates our neurobiology, our behavior, our cultures, our histories, our individual development and… READ MORE
April 12, 2019
Pascal Boyer— It is in the nature of human beings that they create societies. Philosophers have known and said that much for millennia. These days, scientists can paint a detailed… READ MORE
March 1, 2019
In a world that has global English and translation technology, it’s easy to assume that the need to use more than one language is diminishing— but it is more important… READ MORE
December 21, 2018
Susan Lanzoni— “Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” asked the philosophers Andy Clark and David Chalmers in 1998, considering the case of Otto, a… READ MORE
November 26, 2018
Kelly Lambert, Ph.D.— Although scholars have debated the exact meaning of Thomas Jefferson’s reference to the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence, the phrase can be traced to… READ MORE
November 21, 2018
Susan Lanzoni— Is it possible to empathize with lines in an abstract design, with the expansive reach of a tree, the sweep of a bird’s flight, or the imposing rise… READ MORE
June 14, 2018
We’re all part of groups, large or small, but how and why do humans form groups and societies? We look at how cognition influences society and what it means for… READ MORE
March 4, 2018
Judson Brewer— In 2010, I went on a monthlong silent retreat with the aim of working on and possibly stabilizing a special c concentration type of meditation practice (jhana) that… READ MORE
February 9, 2018
Judson Brewer— “Status Update,” an episode of the podcast This American Life, featured three ninth graders talking about their use of Instagram. Instagram is a simple program that lets people post, comment… READ MORE
August 8, 2017
Jenny Diski— The great advantage over real live creatures that my Three Bears had in common with Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, aside from not needing to be fed or produce… READ MORE
The Musics of Michel Leiris