How do you know you exist?
AdultsLifePhilosophyArtHow do you know you're real? Is existence all just a big dream? Has some mad scientist duped us into simply believing that we exist? James Zucker investigates all of these questions (and more) in this mind-boggling tribute to Rene Descartes's "Meditations on First Philosophy."
The famously difficult green-eyed logic puzzle
AdultsCreativityPhilosophyOne hundred green-eyed logicians have been imprisoned on an island by a mad dictator. Their only hope for freedom lies in the answer to one famously difficult logic puzzle. Can you solve it? Alex Gendler walks us through this green-eyed riddle.
What makes a hero?
AdultsLifePhilosophyPsychologyWhat trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.
How to build a fictional world
AdultsCreativityPhilosophyBooksWritingWhy is J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy so compelling? How about The Matrix or Harry Potter? What makes these disparate worlds come alive are clear, consistent rules for how people, societies -- and even the laws of physics -- function in these fictional universes. Author Kate Messner offers a few tricks for you, too, to create a world worth exploring in your own words.
What are the universal human rights?
AdultsPhilosophyPoliticsSocietyJusticeThe basic idea of human rights is that each one of us, no matter who we are or where we are born, is entitled to the same basic rights and freedoms. That may sound straightforward enough, but it gets incredibly complicated as soon as anyone tries to put the idea into practice. What exactly are the basic human rights? Who gets to pick them? Who enforces them-and how? Benedetta Berti explores the subtleties of human rights.
Is This Glass Half Empty?
AdultsGeneticsPhilosophyPsychologySelfAre you an optimist or a pessimist?
Would You Rather Be Rich Or Happy?
AdultsPhilosophySocietyKids say the darndest things - but sometimes they offer some serious insight. We played "Would You Rather" with kids ages 3 to 11 to see if they had anything to teach us adults. Visit aplus.com/s/readresssuccess for more.
Former President of Uruguay
AdultsPhilosophyPoliticsJose Mujica, nicknamed Pepe Mujica, was President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former Tupamaros freedom fighter in the 60s and the 70s, he was detained, like a hostage by the dictatorship between 1973 and 1985. He advocates a philosophy of life focused on sobriety: learn to live with what is necessary and fairest.
Our Greatest Delusion
AdultsLifePhilosophyI am working on some big new projects I'm excited to share with you!
A three year old delivers the most intense motivational speech of all-time
AdultsLeadershipPhilosophyThis might have been inspired by Shia LeBeouf's performance of Joshua Parker's script.
Experiment Shows That All Of Us Are Naturally Altruistic
AdultsHumanPhilosophySocietyExperimentsPsychologySciencePut to work at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, Alan Alda finds out how children will help, and like it, while chimps are less inclined to offer enthusiastic assistance.
Simply Delicious Thoughts with Cookie Monster
AdultsFoodPhilosophyEntertainmentCookie Monster Has Some deep Thoughts On The Philosophy Of Food.
Exploring other dimensions - Alex Rosenthal and George Zaidan
AdultsPhysicsScienceBooksPhilosophyEducationImagine a two-dimensional world -- you, your friends, everything is 2D. In his 1884 novella, Edwin Abbott invented this world and called it Flatland. Alex Rosenthal and George Zaidan take the premise of Flatland one dimension further, imploring us to consider how we would see dimensions different from our own and why the exploration just may be worth it.
What's invisible? More than you think
AdultsScienceWorldPsychologyPhilosophyGravity. The stars in day. Thoughts. The human genome. Time. Atoms. So much of what really matters in the world is impossible to see. A stunning animation of John Lloyd's classic TEDTalk from 2009, which will make you question what you actually know.
The hidden meanings of yin and yang
AdultsHistorySpiritualityPhilosophyReligionCultureThe ubiquitous yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. John Bellaimey explains why we all contain the spirit of yin and of yang -- and how we can achieve a balance of both in our lives.
Would You Take This Bet?
AdultsLifePhilosophyPsychologyPersonal FinancePsychological literature shows that we are more sensitive to small losses and than small gains, with most people valuing a loss around 1.5-2.5 times as much as a gain. This means that we often turn down reasonable opportunities for fear of the loss. However over the course of our lives we will be exposed to many risks and opportunities and this invariably means that taking every small reasonable bet will leave us better off than saying no to all of them.
Why Does Time Go Forward?
AdultsFuturePhilosophySciencePhysicsThe past is different from the future. Why?
The Meaning of Life, explained by 3rd Graders
AdultsLifePhilosophyEducationAt 6 years old, your whole life stretches ahead of you.
Why Does Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg Wear The Same Shirt Everyday?
AdultsLeadershipPhilosophyBusinessProductivityFashionPsychologyWhether you're a fashionista or prefer to dress super laid-back, Mark Zuckerberg's reasoning for his one t-shirt wardrobe is pretty genius. We spend a lot of time on trivial decisions when we could use that energy on something more productive.
Why can't we see evidence of alien life?
AdultsLifeSpaceSciencePhilosophyStand by for an animated exploration of the famous Fermi Paradox. Given the vast number of planets in the universe, many much older than Earth, why haven't we yet seen obvious signs of alien life? The potential answers to this question are numerous and intriguing, alarming and hopeful.