Aeon Articles

A cure for individualism Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) It runs deeply through the Western outlook, hailed and condemned in equal measures. For a corrective, look to Confucius - by Tim Connolly Read at Aeon

The ethical science of Kathleen Lonsdale Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Quaker, conscientious objector, prison reformer – these are just some of the many lives of the scientist Kathleen Lonsdale - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Levelling the world Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Gerrard Winstanley led a small band of radicals whose vision of justice encompassed the globe and continues to inspire - by Rowan Wilson Read at Aeon

The other Homo sapiens Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) We are just one branch of a diverse human family tree. Aside from Neanderthals, who were they – and why did we replace them? - by Nick Longrich Read at Aeon

The plea: defeating smallpox Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Smallpox went from a feared killer to a fading memory. Its eradication is one of humanity’s greatest collective triumphs - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Out of the fog Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) It’s a ‘failed painting’ that obscures the profound power of German Romanticism. Why do we love the ‘Wanderer’ so much? - by Gianluca Didino Read at Aeon

Woods Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) An optical poem featuring audio of W H Auden’s ode to trees paired with art from the Met and outdoor footage of New York state - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Moral refuge Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) You can believe in border control yet protect those fleeing to safety. So what is our ethical obligation to refugees? - by Bradley Hillier-Smith Read at Aeon

Going equipped Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) A captivating story from Aardman Animations about a ‘little thief’ turned career criminal who just can’t break the habit - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

The entangled brain Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) The brain is much less like a machine than it is like the murmurations of a flock of starlings or an orchestral symphony - by Luiz Pessoa Read at Aeon

Permission to be ill Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) It took months for my functional neurological disorder to finally be diagnosed. It’s a condition that must be recognised - by Kevin Aho Read at Aeon

An ocean in motion Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Explore Earth’s oceanic circulatory system via this groundbreaking visualisation of the global flow of ocean currents - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Cars beneath the ground Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) The explosion of automobiles shaped cities and lives. But an enduring problem remains: where to put them when they’re parked - by Alfie Robinson Read at Aeon

A crypto rush aftermath Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) First the rush, then the reality – how a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme spread faster than a virus in a sleepy Georgia town - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Our narrative prison Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell? - by Eliane Glaser Read at Aeon

Demonology Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) By turns benign and malign, powerful and vulnerable, earthbound and aerial, daimons across the world resemble one another - by David Gordon White Read at Aeon

Mum does the washing Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) The world’s isms – capitalism, socialism, fascism and so on – explored through the analogy of your mum doing the washing - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Extraterrestrial tongues Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Imagining how aliens might communicate prepares us for first contact and illuminates the nature of our own languages - by Nikhil Mahant Read at Aeon

Deconstructing the Colosseum Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) To understand the architectural genius of the Colosseum and its symbolic meaning for ancient Rome, it helps to take it apart - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

The ecstatic swoon Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) As Stendhal knew, the reason for art is to make you feel. Do not try to grasp the artwork: allow it to grasp you instead - by Robert D Zaretsky Read at Aeon