How to build a memory palace
Upgrade your ability to recall dates, names or other details with an ancient trick of the memory trade: the ‘method of loci’
by Lynne Kelly
Knowledge and reason
How to check if an argument is valid
In logic, validity is prime. If you want to make valid arguments, or sniff out invalid ones, here’s what you need to do
by Robert Trueman
From cave art to subatomic sketches – how drawing has accelerated human progress
Video by MIT Quest for Intelligence
The eerie phenomenon that keeps popping up
Ever feel like a word or person you just learned about has been showing up repeatedly? There’s a term for that
by Hannah Seo
Why we choose to avoid information that’s right in front of us
Knowing the reasons people opt not to know – and the consequences of that choice – could help us see when it’s problematic
by Jeremy L Foust
Uncertainty is stressful, but here’s why we need to feel it
As much as people struggle with not knowing, we live in an uncertain world – and there are advantages to embracing that
by Jessica Alquist
What style of curiosity do you practise?
New research shows that people satisfy their curiosity in different ways. Are you a hunter, a busybody or a dancer?
by Richard Fisher
These lessons in scepticism could make the world a better place
In our age of certainty and dogma, we would all do well to learn from the philosophy of the ancient Greco-Roman sceptics
by Massimo Pigliucci
Psychedelics are philosophical tools for demolishing assumptions
By shaking up our sense of how things are, substances like LSD or psilocybin have the potential to promote deep learning
by David J Blacker
There is knowledge in the land as well as in ourselves
Indigenous Australian knowledge systems understand what Descartes didn’t – the natural world has important things to tell us
by Andrew Kirkpatrick
There’s no good reason to love each other – and that’s a relief
Loving is an unreasonable decision (we are all extremely unpleasant little beasts) and that’s what allows it to survive
by John Kaag
Why deepfakes pose less of a threat than many predict
Applying Descartes’ sceptical puzzle to deepfake videos reveals the challenge they present is one that we can rise to
by Keith Raymond Harris
Wisdom is a virtue, but how do we judge if someone has it?
Our team explored who is considered wise in cultures with contrasting philosophical traditions. The results surprised us
by Maksim Rudnev & Igor Grossmann
Long COVID brain fog was my enemy. How did it become my friend?
The confusion of my illness helped me understand Buddhist theories of ignorance and its role in the relief of suffering
by Emily McRae
The surprising role of deep thinking in conspiracy theories
People who endorse and spread outlandish theories aren’t gullible, they’re drawn to the intoxicating lure of discovery
by Stephen Gadsby & Sander Van de Cruys
For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path
Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?
by Sam Woodward