The Existential Blues

Ask a Philosopher: What is the Purpose of Hatred?

We asked young people what their most burning philosophical questions are. In order to answer them, we went and asked some of todayโ€™s leading thinkers.

What If Every Nation is "The Chosen People?"

The term "Chosen" has long confused both lovers and haters of the Jewish People.

Does Einsteinโ€™s Favorite Philosopher Really Deny Free Will?

Free will issues. It's complicated.

Baruch Spinoza: Genius, Jew, Heretic

The Jewish struggle with the ideas of a philosopher who left the fold.

Spinoza: A Superb Intellect Sacrificed on the Altar of Human Arrogance

Despite his brilliance, Spinoza's philosophy isn't quite as rational as it appears.

How to Deal with Your Mortality

Humanity has developed a number of approaches to contend with the ultimate question. Which one is best?

The Hidden Mental Life of Bats

Explaining the mystery of consciousness by contemplating the bat.

The Transcendent Power of Names

How the act of naming things links the philosophical and Kabbalistic worlds.

Judaism and Human Creativity

The creation narrative in Genesis offers insights on how and why humans create.

Where Are We? The Body, Brain, Soul Problem

Does our consciousness reside in our bodies, beyond them, or both?

Max Planck and The Mind Who is the Matrix of all Matter

A man of science and faith who discovered a world.

When Hope Is Irrational

Hope is a beautiful thing. Does it have a shelf life?

Can Philosophy Prove Anything?

If science can't prove or disprove something, can philosophy?

The Spiritual Benefits of a Medical Scare

Donโ€™t let a crisis go to waste.

Are Humans Hopelessly Corrupt?

Can the human heart be tamed through education or is humanity permanently enslaved to their passions?

Scientific Curiosity and the Divine Encounter

Where Do the Laws of Nature Come From?

Why should matter behave in any particular way? Where are these laws written?

Faith: A Lot Deeper Than You Think

What if faith is more reliable than logic?

How to Become Immortal

The "afterlife" is only what we make of it.

Our Messy Ethical Lives

There are some scenarios in life when no matter what you choose, it's gonna get ugly.

Hillel and Aristotle, Shammai and Plato

There are always two ways to approach life - top down and bottom up. Which one is better?

Can Science Disprove God?

Can anything ever prove something's non-existence?

The Moment Scientists Become Anti-Science

The scientific method is one of the most remarkably accurate tools for comprehending our reality. But when it comes to using it for origin of life, some scientists jump ship.

Love and Absurdity

To Albert Camus, a hero is someone who can accept the bleak meaninglessness of life and press forward nonetheless. Is there no better option?

Faith: the Axis Upon Which the Wheel of Science Turns

Beneath every "fact" lies a series of assumptions that cannot be proven. Like it or not, even science requires a leap of faith.

Is There a Moral Code in a Virtual World?

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world and our place in it. Are there any real rules in a virtual universe?

Science Enters the Mysterious Inner World of Consciousness

Does everything in the universe have some sort of consciousness? Some philosophers and scientists say that it does.

Can a Moral Truth Ever Change?

Can a moral truth ever change or does morality need constant upgrading to be truly moral?

Prayer: a Strange (Yet Very Popular) Human Activity

If we assume that God is good, He will always do what's best for us. If that's true, then why do we need to pray to Him?

Help, I Don't Exist!

How can a material entity be consciously aware of itself?

Can We Still Believe in a Soul?

โ€‹โ€‹Is there really any such thing as a soul? If so, what's the evidence for it? And if not, is it time to let it go?

The Strange Face of Change

Is change a fundamental feature of existence that is always occurring or is it simply an illusion?

Why We Canโ€™t See True Reality

Is reality determined only by that which can be measured and quantified, or is there an aspect of reality that transcends measurement?

Consciousness and Psychedelics

For hundreds of years, philosophers have wrestled with "the hard problem of consciousness." Can the psychedelic experience teach us anything new about it and about reality itself?

Most Philosophy is Just Noise

Big ideas can be so complex and often seem so unsolvable. Is the best move just not to bother with them?

Everyone โ€“ and Everything โ€“ Is Going to Die, and Thatโ€™s Okay

The fact that the Universe will inevitably come to an end seems pretty unsettling at first glance. Are there any good reasons to be optimistic despite it?

How Do We Know Anything?

Everything we experience in life is filtered through our own minds. How do we truly know if anything exists beyond ourselves?

Youโ€™re Not Who You Think You Are

If someone else's personality was somehow uploaded into your brain, would you then be that person?

The Divine Book of Nature

The starry sky is beautiful but is it anything more than that? What other significance might knowledge of the heavens hold for us?

Heisenberg, Tao and the Unbreakable One

The more closely we examine the physical world, the more it seems to recede from us. Our mistake is trying to grasp the whole by only looking at a part.

Sara Yoheved Rigler

What Happens After You Die?

From time immemorial people have pondered what will happen to them after their bodies breathe their last. What does Judaism have to say about it?

Is there a God?

Which thing more obviously exists, God or gravity? The question might not be as simple as it seems.

What Do You Think?

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