Aeon | a world of ideas
Articles about Aeon | a world of ideas
I won’t remain alone
In the wake of tragedy, an elderly couple must make a choice: should they let their son go to save the lives of others? - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
How to assemble science
Humanity produces a staggering amount of new knowledge every day. The question is how to make sense of it all - by Helen Pearson Read on Aeon
All-around junior male
A ball suspended in mid-air meets an athlete’s determination: in the one-foot high kick, competitors must defy gravity - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
A life in episodes
For a decade, I’ve posted episodes of my memoir to Facebook. My readers correct my understanding of my past - by Thomas Söderqvist Read on Aeon
Life on a hair trigger
A world of violence sustains itself through guns, poverty and other social ills, but also through the minds it creates - by Megan Kang Read on Aeon
Green tree ants are famous in the tropics
In tropical forests ruled by aggressive ants, these species have adopted a ‘fake it till you make it’ survival strategy - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Reason is more than a tool
If intelligence is merely optimisation then machines will outrun us. Kant tells us why human reason is so much more - by Sasha Mudd Read on Aeon
Passportless mess
A fool, a genius, or ‘a man who destroys everything’? Piecing together Zoran, a mythic figure of Belgrade - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Don’t use the ‘C-word’
A cancer diagnosis carries with it fear and upheaval. For many patients the cellular changes do not warrant the label - by Matthew R Cooperberg Read on Aeon
Affect theory
In the mid-1990s, thinkers pushed back against the idea we’re built by language, turning to feeling and the body instead - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Paternity is poetical
The notion that fatherhood and creativity are at odds is plain wrong, as both poetry and neuroscience are showing us - by Daniel Swift Read on Aeon
Reasoning together
Jürgen Habermas, the great defender of deliberative democracy, lived up to its demands: he never feared changing his mind - by Emilie Prattico Read on Aeon
Britain’s last great airship
The remarkable engineering and tragic demise of the vessel that would end Britain’s dream to dominate the skies - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Where a land ethic blooms
Caring for this planet entails decisions that are intimate, about our farms, our homes, our human and our wild neighbours - by Craig Maier Read on Aeon
How the West was fun
Be it movie mythos or nostalgia for a ‘simpler’ time, there’s an undeniable allure in stepping into the American West - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Toadstools and toxins
When I found the mushroom Amanita muscaria being sold in candy wrappers, I uncovered legal loopholes, dangerous dosages and more - by Eric Leas Read on Aeon
Sound guardians
As Indonesia builds a new capital city, the race is on to preserve the sounds of the rainforest before they vanish forever - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
He was probably right
Cicero’s life and thought are a testament to the idea of probabilia: we should be confident in our beliefs, but never certain - by Massimo Pigliucci Read on Aeon
Cosmic amnesia
A black hole rings like a struck bell, then settles into silence, forgetting almost everything about its history. Why? - by Richard Dyer Read on Aeon
Animal eye
Probing the biology, beauty and mystery of animal eyes, this short poetic documentary explores an alien world - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Who will taste the cherries?
The computist has one dream: to debug the subjectivity out of all of human knowledge, creating a pure, frictionless world - by Liam Spradlin Read on Aeon
The meaning of fake marble
From ancient Roman frescoes to modern kitchen benchtops, our desire to recreate marble is about more than cutting costs - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Chasing la dolce vita
Homecomings, fantasies, food and ghosts – how the myth of eternal return keeps the Italian diaspora in a state of longing - by Ben Faccini Read on Aeon
Once upon a screen: explosive paradox
Decades after seeing ‘Platoon’, Kevin recalls how the film stirred generational trauma in his family and racism at school - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The bombarding of childhood
It’s not just screen time: the problem with children’s media is that it has become relentlessly hectic, loud and bright - by Natalia Kucirkova Read on Aeon