Culture

A black and white image split into two sections: a half globe on the left and a crowd of people on the right, with the text "More Humans Are Better" in the center and the number 3 in the top right corner.
The overlooked virtues of a crowded world
In a world of rising cynicism, a celebration of our capacity to create, adapt, and thrive.
Jason Crawford
A graphic titled "Humanity vs. Nature" showing a human evolutionary timeline, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and ethos depictions of nature, including a tree, a bird, and marine life.
Why harmony with nature is a myth
Slowing growth and limiting development isn’t living in harmony with nature—it is surrendering in a battle.
Jason Crawford
Abstract digital collage featuring a hand holding a smartphone, the logo of The Onion, binary code, and a webpage against a green and blue background.
Entertainment
How the internet changed news, according to The Onion
Freethink spoke to Onion staffers about parodying news from the print era into the digital age.
Tim Brinkhof and Stephen Johnson
Education
How these schools create problem-solving optimists
In partnership with Higher Ground
Freethink Team
Can this school change the world?
In partnership with Higher Ground
Psychology
Widom of Daoism: why Yin-Yang is so much more than a tattoo
Jonny Thomson
Psychology
The Four Enemies to a happy life and how to defeat them
Jonny Thomson
History
A historian identifies the worst year in human history
Paul Ratner
Books
“Read 2,000 books”: Werner Herzog’s advice on reading
Derek Beres
Neuroscience
How the brain responds to surprising events
Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
Global Development
Why Africa’s newest super-bridge is in the continent’s weirdest border zone
Frank Jacobs
Psychology
Theory of mind: What chess and drug dealers can teach you about manipulation
Jonny Thomson
Psychology
Geopsychology: Your personality depends on where you live
Frank Jacobs