The nature of reality

A rural road intersection with a stop sign, traffic light and highway signs under a blue sky with clouds.
THINKERS AND THEORIES

To resist dogma and accept uncertainty, think like a pragmatist

Founded in 19th-century America, the philosophy of pragmatism promises imaginative ways of coping with our circumstances

by Michael Bacon

Black and white photo of a boat with two people on a calm lake, branches above and clouds reflected in the water.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

How to think about time

This philosopher’s introduction to the nature of time could radically alter how you see your past and imagine your future

by Graeme A Forbes

Black and white photo of a spiral pattern resembling a spiral staircase or vortex with concentric circular rings.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

Uncertainty isn’t a human flaw, it’s a feature of the world

They bring contrasting perspectives, but a literary scholar and a physicist agree on the wisdom of embracing uncertainty

by Richard C Sha & Nathan Harshman

A dark room with a table, chair, bookshelves, and numerous faint, ghostly figures sketched on furniture, walls, and floor.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

An animated figure’s world grows enigmatic when he begins to doubt reality

Directed by Jeong Dahee

Photo of a man in a suit sitting in a dimly lit room with a shattered blue screen on a wooden wall behind him.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

For neuroscience, magic opens a doorway to multiple realities

The transition in magic from possible to impossible can answer some of the key questions in philosophy and neuroscience

by Luis M Martínez & Jordi Camí

Ink painting of misty mountains with pine trees and an orange sun in the sky; grey and subtle colours dominate the scene.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

There has never been a time when this article didn’t exist

The root of time itself is in fertile nothingness: how ancient Chinese Daoism shatters our illusions about time and being

by David Chai

Photo of masked wrestlers in a ring, one in bright red and white, another in gold trousers, with a cheering crowd.
SPORTS AND GAMES

What pro wrestling can teach us about the quest for truth

Pro wrestling, like philosophy, raises questions about appearance and reality: how can we ever know what’s really happening?

by Douglas Edwards